Hogwarts is Home
by Whouffle-Shipper-Forever
Summary: John Smith and Clara Oswald did not expect their first year at Hogwarts to have so much in stall with them. John discovers things about his past when he comes across a familiar name in the year above. A story of adventure and friendship. Set in the time of The Philosopher's Stone.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so this is me, starting this whole story again because I came up with something better... I'm sorry, but I really suck at this, so yeah. This time I have a whole plan written out so I have something to go along. This chapter is almost the same as it was before, but I've changed it a little. Please read, review, favourite and follow, I'd appreciate it a lot :) Thanks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own HP or DW, unfortunately**

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**Chapter 1 – Clara**

It was the day before Clara Oswald's long awaited eleventh birthday. She couldn't wait to receive her Hogwarts letter. After years and years of listening to her mother's stories of the school, she was finally ready to go and explore it for herself. She was sitting on the windowsill in her room, looking out for owls, when her father came in with a pile of freshly laundered clothes.

"It won't come until tomorrow, Clara. Come down and have dinner," he said as he neatly folded the clothes with his wand and put them in one of the drawers.

"But what if it does come? I want to be ready," Clara said, not budging one bit.

Her father chuckled. "Oh, you've been ready for a while now, darling. Besides, Professor Dumbledore never gets his timing wrong, it will be here tomorrow morning, trust me."

"Okay, dad. I can't wait, though," Clara said as she got down from the window and walked over to her father.

"I know. And neither can your mother and me. You'll finally be able to learn some proper magic. C'mon, mum's waiting at the table."

Clara was scooped up by her father and taken down the stairs. When they reached the kitchen, her mother was waiting for them. She smiled at them as he set Clara down into her chair.

"You took your time," she said jokily to her husband. He just smiled and kissed her on the lips.

"Ew, I'm eating," Clara said, as she cut into one of her sausages. Her parents laughed.

"It's going to be so quiet here without you when you go in September. There won't be anyone to comment on everything anymore." her mother said, smiling sadly.

The rest of that day passed slowly as Clara waited in excitement and when the morning came, she was the first out of bed. Her parents made their way downstairs a little while after her. When they entered the kitchen to see her at the table, biting her thumbnail, they sang "Happy Birthday" loudly. Clara jumped and then laughed. She hugged both of her parents and then sat back down. Her dad got to making breakfast and her mum sat next to her and stroked her hair.

"I can't believe those eleven years went so quickly, it feels like yesterday when you were just a baby," her mother said.

Clara smiled. Over the next half hour they recalled many moments from when Clara was little. The family laughed together until the letter finally came. The small tawny owl flew in through the window and landed in front of Clara on the table. It pecked at her toast and she laughed. She took the envelope and examined it slowly. On front was her name and address in green ink, and when she turned it over, she saw the red Hogwarts seal. It was beautiful in Clara's eyes, and it made her want to open it even more. As her parents sat closely around her, she tore the envelope open, and took out the letter.

She read it thoroughly a few times and was overwhelmed by the amount of equipment she needed. Her parents told her that they would go shopping in Diagon Alley at some point to get everything.

Once Clara had finally set the letter down onto the table, her mum stood her up.

"Okay now, Clara. We have a surprise for you," she said as Clara's father left the kitchen.

"What is it?" Clara asked, excitedly.

"If we told you it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" her father said, entering the kitchen again, with his wand in his hand. Behind him, hovering in the air, came a cage.

In that cage was a small Barn owl, whizzing around for its life. When Clara saw it she gasped and hugged her mum. The cage was set down onto the kitchen table and now Clara could have a good look at it.

The owl was small, white and fluffy. It was the most adorable thing Clara had ever seen and the funniest part was that it couldn't keep still. It kept fidgeting around the cage.

"You'll have to think of a name for him," her mother said.

"Just not anything as bad as Hector," her dad said, looking over at the family owl, Hector on his perch. Her mum had named him.

"Hey! Hector's a nice name! Allow it," her mother said.

"Never. So what do you think, darling?" her father came back to Clara and her owl.

Clara thought for a minute, but nothing came up. She began to tap her fingers on the kitchen table and looked over at the owl. He was still moving around. Clara laughed at the sight of him, and then the name suddenly formed in her head.

"I have a name," she said.

"Go on," her mother said.

"I'll call him Fidget."

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**And there you go :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Now for John's letter. So I've changed John's character a lot, after reading a review so now he's a lot more curious, just like the 11th Doctor :3 Really hope I'm making this better by re-writing it. Please let me know by reviewing and you can follow and favourite if you really enjoy it :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own DW or HP :'(**

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**Chapter 2 - John**

John had always been fascinated by muggles. He watched as children ran across the street every day, wishing he was with them. It felt so weird not going to school with them, even though he knew that he wasn't like them. His mother had taught him all the basic stuff like reading and writing at a young age, but that was pretty much all the education he'd had.

He turned away from his bedroom window and sat on his bed. Just at that moment, he heard his mother call him down for lunch. He made his way down the stairs and when he got to the kitchen table, sat down and tucked into his sandwich.

"You excited for your birthday tomorrow?" his mum asked him.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get my Hogwarts letter!" he said excitedly.

"I bet you can't. I will miss you a lot though, John. There'll be no one to cause any trouble round here anymore."

John laughed a little and then continued into his sandwich. He couldn't wait until he went to Hogwarts. He wanted to go to school like everyone else and now he was finally going.

"Is it true that Harry Potter will be in my year?" John asked.

"Yes, I think so. It was in the Daily Prophet," his mum answered.

"Yay! I can't wait to meet him! He's is so cool!" John said excitedly.

"Yes, I know, John. But you have to promise me one thing. Please don't crowd the poor boy, I'm sure he's got enough on his plate."

"Yes, mum."

"Now, I'm going to have to leave you at River's again because I need to make a trip to Diagon Alley. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," John said smiling. River was his only friend. She was a Muggle, and he wasn't allowed to tell her about his magic.

About an hour later, John was dropped off at River's and his mum apparated to Diagon Alley, in search of a birthday present for her son.

The sun greeted John the next morning as he woke up in his bedroom. He automatically jumped up and shouted "It's my birthday!"

His mum ran in laughing. "John, don't shout like that. You'll attract all the neighbours," she said pulling him into a hug. "Happy Birthday, though."

"Thanks, mum."

They went downstairs, and she made John his favourite breakfast; Sausage sandwiches. While he ate, she walked up to the window, tears streaming down her face. John noticed, but left her, knowing why she was crying. Every year on his birthday his mother cried, because of his father.

She had told him that his father had died on his third birthday. She had never said how, but that it was an accident. He hadn't known his father well, but it still made him sad. He had one picture in his room, of his father holding him as a baby, and twirling around in circles laughing. John looked very alike to his father.

Just as his mother was looking out of the window, she spotted something. An owl was flying towards their house carrying an envelope in its beak. She wiped away her tears and turned around to John.

"I think this could be it, John. Your Hogwarts letter." she said, sounding excited to make him happy.

"Yay!" John shouted, standing up and running to the window.

They watched together as the owl came closer and closer until it sat on their windowsill. John took the envelope and stroked the owl. Then it flew off without a second glance.

"Can I open it?" John asked, shaking with excitement.

"Of course," his mum said. "What are you waiting for?"

John took one more look at the perfect red Hogwarts seal before ripping it open.

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**Sorry that these chapters are boring at the moment. I promise that they will get better :) Please believe me and keep reading :P**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so this is when stuff actually starts to happen. The interesting stuff, I mean. So in this chapter, John and Clara meet. I say no more, hope you enjoy reading it :) Remember to review, favourite and follow if you don't want to miss anything :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the world of Harry Potter or the characters of Doctor Who**

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**Chapter 3 - Clara**

Clara stood on the platform, watching as people crowded the platform, making conversation with each other or rushing around with owls and trunks. Her parents were right behind her, beaming broadly, remembering their own school days. Clara started making her way through the crowd, pushing and dodging her way through, being careful with Fidget.

Finally, after being elbowed a couple of times, she reached the scarlet train that was the Hogwarts express. She turned around to her parents and they both smiled at her sadly.

"Now, you be a good girl, Clara. Have a good time," her mother said, hugging her before kissing her forehead.

"Enjoy it, it'll be the best time of your life. You'll make loads of friends and it will be amazing. We'll miss you," her father said, also hugging her.

"Thanks, I will," Clara said. She could feel the tears building up. Then a whistle blew in the background.

"You better go. We'll see you at Christmas. Don't forget to write to us," her mother said, lightly pushing her towards the train.

"Bye!" Clara shouted over the noise, and then she ran into the train just before the doors slammed shut.

As the train started moving, Clara waved to her parents through the window, and when they were out of sight, went to search for a compartment.

She started up the train, looking in each compartment to see if there was an empty seat anywhere. Some compartments were just full, but in others, where seats were available, she got dirty looks from students who were pretty much saying "No, you're not sitting with us." She kept looking, but there was nothing, so she turned back.

When she turned around, however, she bumped into a girl with extremely bushy, brown hair. She apologised quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there."

"No, it's alright," the girl said. "Are you looking for somewhere to sit as well?"

"Yes, I am. Everywhere down there is full," she said pointing back the way she came.

"Let's try this way."

So the two girls walked up the train, still in search of somewhere to sit. They introduced themselves as they walked, the both of them still dragging along their belongings. The girl was called Hermione, and she was a muggleborn.

"It was quite weird when I got my letter. I thought someone was playing some practical joke on me. I'm really excited though," Hermione said.

Just then, she stopped in front of Clara, and opened a compartment door. "Can we sit here?" she asked.

Clara couldn't see who was sitting in the compartment, but they must have nodded or something, because Hermione went in. Clara followed, and it turned out that the only other person in there, was a boy with brown hair and green eyes, that were quite dull, but noticeable at the same time.

"Hello there, my name is John," he said, a big, friendly smile on his face.

Clara put her trunk away as Hermione introduced them both, before sitting down across from John. She smiled back at him, trying to look just as friendly, but she was a little awkward.

Just after that, a round faced boy came to the compartment door, looking a little out of breath. He was holding a trunk and had a toad in his hand. He opened it and asked nervously "Is there a free seat in here?"

All of them nodded at the boy, and with a face of relief, he sat down next to John. "Thanks, I saw you two come in just a second ago so I thought I'd take a look. I never thought the train would be so packed. I'm Neville, by the way. Neville Longbottom. And this is Trevor." He pointed at the toad.

The rest of them all introduced themselves and then John started to make conversation.

"So are all of you first years, like me?" he asked.

Again, we all nodded and he smiled broadly. "So what houses to you reckon you'll be in?"

Hermione was the first to answer, eagerness in her eyes. "Well, I did a bit of background reading about the school and I reckon I would be most suited for Ravenclaw, although I wouldn't mind being in Gryffindor either."

"Both my parents were in Gryffindor, but my gran thinks I'll be in Hufflepuff or something. She said I would make a rubbish Gryffindor because I'm so clumsy all the time," Neville said, frowning a little.

There was a small silence, but then Clara decided to finally speak up. "My mum was Ravenclaw and my dad was Hufflepuff, so I'm not entirely sure where I'll end up," she said, shrugging.

"My mum was a Gryffindor, but she never told me what my dad was. I don't remember him, so I wouldn't be able to guess," John said, looking down into his lap.

"What happened to him?" Hermione asked.

"He died when I was little. My mum doesn't talk about him much. I've only seen photos," he replied.

"I'm sorry," Clara said quietly, giving him a sad smile.

"Thanks."

There was an awkward silence and Hermione got a book out of her bag. The cover said "Hogwarts, A History." John crossed his arms and leaned back, staring out of the window. Neville began stroking his toad, but it jumped out of his arms.

"Trevor!" Neville shouted, but the toad was gone in seconds, nowhere to be seen. Neville stood up and looked around, but he couldn't see him.

"Maybe he went out..." he said, and then he opened the door. Immediately, everyone knew that was a bad idea, because the toad jumped out into the corridor as soon as the compartment door slid open. Neville automatically ran after it.

Hermione got up, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I think he needs some help. See you later," she said, before leaving the compartment behind Neville.

John started laughing, and then Clara joined in. After they stopped, he looked at her, realising something.

"Have I seen you somewhere before?" he asked, still keeping the tone friendly.

"Um, I don't think so... Maybe on the platform?" she asked, a little unsure.

"No, I think it was earlier than that. Don't worry about it, it's probably nothing. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you or anything," John said, smiling apologetically.

"It's fine, so are you excited about Hogwarts?" she asked.

"You bet I am. Have you heard that Harry Potter's in ouou year? I mean, he is on this train right now!" Clara could see that the excitement had overtaken him, and she couldn't' help but laugh.

"What?" he asked.

"It's nothing. It's just, your so happy all the time. It's nice." Clara blushed a little, and then laughed again.

"I'm just happy to be around people my age. I've never really had any friends before, so I've just been eager to get people to like me," he explained.

"Well, John. I think you're very likable. I like you; you're very fun to be around, and you're very interesting."

John smiled. "You're very quiet at the moment, but I better there's a lot more beneath your shyness, Clara. I'd be happy to get to know you better."

The compartment door slid open at that moment and Hermione stepped in, Neville close behind her holding Trevor.

"You'll never guess who I just met..." she said.

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**Who do you think it'll be? It is a little obvious tbh :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - Okay, so we're making slow and steady progress with this fanfic. I'm sorry it's taking so long to update, but it's just that I have so little time to write nowadays. Don't worry, though, it's nearly Half Term, so I'll have some more time. So this chapter's the Sorting. For those of you who read the old version, you'll know which houses John and Clara are in. Please remember to review, follow and favourite! I'd be happy to hear any compliments/criticisms :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything... blah, blah, blah.**

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**Chapter 4 - John**

"Who?" John asked intently.

"I just met Harry Potter, and I saw his scar and everything. He seems like an ordinary boy, to be honest," Hermione said, excitedly.

"Woah, you met Harry Potter? Where?" John asked.

Hermione was about to answer but they all felt the train as it began to slow down. None of them were in their robes apart from Hermione, who was in her robes from the beginning.

"We should probably get changed now," Clara said. She opened her trunk, her robes right at the top of the pile of clothes. She got them out and then clicked the trunk shut again.

John and Neville quickly left the compartment so that she could change and then she did the same for them. By the time the train stopped, they were all dressed and ready to leave the train. As they were waiting for the doors of the train to open, John commented on Clara's owl.

"Nice owl," he said. "I forgot to mention earlier."

Clara laughed and said "He's called Fidget. It's probably not too hard to notice why."

John smiled. "That's cute," was all he said.

Then finally, after a short while of being squished in the corridor of the train, the doors were opened from the outside, and everyone started to file out. Once out on the platform, John felt the warm, evening air around him. The platform crowded up quickly, and he and the rest of his new friends were unsure of where to go.

"Firs' years! Over here, firs' years!"

John turned his head towards the direction of the voice which called them over. Neville started towards it and he followed, Clara beside him. Once he got closer, he realised where the voice had come from. There, surrounded by a group of small students, was an extremely tall man with shaggy hair and a bear, holding a lantern. He was still calling for first years. John was overwhelmed by the size of the man, and as he stood near him, he only went up to his knee.

After about another minute of standing in silence while the man called out, it finally went quiet. The platform had cleared considerably and now they were the only ones left on it.

"Okay, firs' years. My name is Hagrid and I'll be takin' yer all across the lake this evenin'. If you would like to follow me now..."

They followed Hagrid down a narrow pathway until they reached the bank of a large, black lake. It was hard to see anything out there, because of how dark it was, but everything nearby was illuminated by Hagrid's lantern. There were about a dozen boats sitting in the water, and John presumed that that was how they were getting across.

Clara nudged him, excitement written all over her face. "I can't wait! This is going to be so cool," she said, visibly shivering even though it wasn't cold.

"Me too," he said, before Hagrid called out, telling them to get in the boats. It was only four people to a boat, so John, Clara, Hermione and Neville all got in one together.

Once everyone was in comfortably, the boats started forward alone, causing a few "oohs".

The boats creeped up the lake towards a small cave. As they passed under it, they all had to duck especially Hagrid. Once they came out of the cave though, the image of the castle caught everyone's eyes. In front of them, was a huge castle, dotted with many lights coming from the windows. There were a few towers coming off, here and there which just increased the vastness of the school.

John's jaw literally dropped when he first saw the sight, and he couldn't believe that he would spent the next seven years of his education in such a magnificent looking sschool.

Now he just couldn't wait to get inside and explore. He was sure that he would be fascinated by the interior of the castle, admiring every nook and cranny at any given opportunity.

He smiled at Clara and said "This is absolutely amazing. I have a feeling that I'm going to love it here."

"I know right! I can't wait to get inside," Clara replied.

It wasn't long after that when the boats were safely parked in the Boat House and all the first years had entered the castle. They had received a speech from the deputy headmistress, Professor McGonagall and then, before they knew it they were heading into the Great Hall to be sorted into their new houses.

As they all filed into the Great Hall behind Professor McGonagall, every eye was on them. The staff table, which was right at front of the Hall, was full of a variety of witches and wizards, most of them looking down at the first years with warm, welcoming faces. John was starting to find it hard to contain his excitement. He was here, and it was nearly the time for him to get sorted. He was hoping for either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Once McGonagall reached the front, they all stopped and she indicated towards a stool with an odd looking hat on it. "Now, when I call your name, you will proceed up to the front and sit on the stool, while I place it on your head. First up please, Hermione Granger."

There was a silence for a moment, and then John felt Hermione push past him. He smiled at her as she passed, but she didn't see; she was too busy looking at the floor and muttering something to herself.

"Mental, that one," he heard someone whisper. He looked around to see who had said that, and it turned out to be a boy with ginger hair. John looked at him for a moment and then he turned around again.

Hermione was sitting on the stool now, and McGonagall had placed the hat on her head. There was a pause, before the hat shouted out "Gryffindor!"

There was a big cheer, and many people at the Gryffindor table stood up to meet their new member. Hermione was smiling, and she sat down among two identical, ginger boys.

This went on for a few students, all getting placed in different houses. One boy, called Draco Malfoy, had his house chosen before the hat even touched his head. He was placed in Slytherin.

John wasn't bothered about most of them, but when Clara Oswald's name was called, he gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned before she went up. He watched her, as she made her way out to the front. She sat down carefully and closed her eyes, waiting for her house to be decided.

John didn't realise he was holding his breath until the hat called out "Ravenclaw!"

Clara jumped up and walked over to the cheering crowd of the Ravenclaw table. John was happy for her, and now he hoped that he could possibly be in Ravenclaw too. Clara was the first friend he'd made on this adventure, and he didn't want to lose her so quickly.

Some more names were called, including Harry Potter and Neville, who were both sorted into Gryffindor, before it was John's turn.

"John Smith," McGonagall said.

John looked around at the remaining people standing around him, and then walked over to the stool. He sat down on it, and looked out onto everyone who was staring at him.

Suddenly, the hat started talking, making John jump. "Ahh, okay, we have quite a mixed bag here. So much wisdom in that little brain of yours, but yet, I can't help but notice the hidden bravery. Where to put you, John Smith? Follow your heart. Ravenclaw!"

John jumped again, but this time he just laughed. He was in Ravenclaw with Clara!

He made his way down to the Ravenclaw table and sat down next to Clara. Some people patted his shoulder, and he heard lots of "Welcome to Ravenclaw"s.

Clara held up her hand to high five him, and he did so. He couldn't be happier, this was his dream come true.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N - So everyone's happy :) Clara and John are now in Ravenclaw together, woohay! In this chapter, they both have a class with a special someone, otherwise known as John's hero. How will it go? I wonder...**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 5 - Clara**

The sun was just rising as Clara awoke the next morning. To her, it felt dark, because she had closed all the curtains of her four poster bed the night before. She sat up, opening one of them, and looking around to see if anyone else was awake. There was one other girl, who was sitting on her bed, rubbing her eyes.

Clara got up, and checked her watch which was lying on her bedside table. It was 6:40, so she decided to get dressed into her robes and go and sit in the common room for a bit.

"Hey, Clara," she heard a familiar voice say from behind her, a few minutes later. She turned around and saw John, also in his new black and blue Ravenclaw robes. "Are you coming down to breakfast?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was just waiting for you, actually," she said, before standing up and walking beside him. They left the common room and descended the many steps of Ravenclaw tower getting to the main staircase after passing through a corridor. "Do you remember the way down?"

"Yeah, of course," John said casually.

Clara was relieved. "Really? How? I don't remember a thing," she said.

"I was kidding, I have no idea where I'm going either. Let's just go down and hope for the best," he said, scratching his head a little. Clara laughed, and they made their way down the staircase. All the paintings on the walls were moving around and conversing with each other. Clara had a feeling that they were talking about them, and felt a little uncomfortable.

They kept walking down stairs but they felt like they weren't getting anywhere. Eventually, Clara plucked up the courage to go and ask one of the paintings.

"Excuse me," she said, talking to a painting of a man with a funny beard. "Do you know how to get down to the Great Hall? We're a little lost."

The man in the painting chuckled. "Oh, first years, I presume. You're going the right way, just keep going down," he said.

"We've been doing that for quite a while now, though," John said.

"Yes, well, in case you didn't notice last night, boy, there are quite a lot of stairs in this castle. It does take a little while to get up and down them. Honestly, call yourselves Ravenclaws." The man rolled his eyes.

John was going to say something, but Clara dragged him away. They kept going down, just like the man had said, and eventually, they got down the Great Hall.

"It took us a whole ten minutes to get from Ravenclaw tower to the Great Hall. And that was just going down," Clara said, as they sat down at the Ravenclaw table.

A girl who was sitting nearby, slid over to them. She was a lot older than the two of them and she was wearing a shiny "Prefect" badge. "Did you have trouble coming down here?" she asked them both.

"You bet we did," said John.

"I'll show you a shortcut after breakfast, if you like. I'm Penelope Clearwater, by the way," she said, giving them both a cheerful smile.

"Thank you, Penelope. I'm Clara and this is John," Clara said, as John tucked into his breakfast.

Just then, Professor Flitwick came to them, and handed them scrolls of parchment. "Your timetables," he said. "I'm Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw house. The prefects probably mentioned me last night. If you need anything, I am happy to listen. Have good first day."

Then he walked away, handing out other timetables as he went. Clara looked down at her own timetable. The school day consisted of five lessons. Today she had Transfiguration, History of Magic, Potions and double Charms. It seemed okay to Clara, but she didn't really know what to expect of those lessons. John had all the same, so she wasn't too worried.

"It says we have Transfiguration with Gryffindors, does that mean we'll be in the same class as Harry Potter?" John asked her.

"Well, I expect so. That is so cool," she said.

They finished their breakfast quickly, and then Penelope lead them to a painting not far away from the Hall. The painting was of a mountain, with an eagle perched on the top. It stood quite still, until Penelope said "Eagle"

"Password?" the painting croaked.

"Wisdom," she said, and then the painting swung open. The passageway was dark, but there were torches inside to provide light. "That's the password for this painting. You just say "wisdom" and then it will let you pass," Penelope explained.

They had literally been walking for about a minute, when they came up to another door. Penelope pushed it open and they ended up just outside Ravenclaw tower. They were in the corridor, and the staircase to the common room was right in front of them.

"Wait, how did we get here so quick? We didn't even go upwards," John said, mesmerised.

"I did say it was a shortcut. And we are in a school of magic, anything can happen here," Penelope said.

They went up to the tower and fetched their school bags, before beginning their search for the Transfiguration classroom. They ended up finding it surprisingly quickly with the guidance of their fellow classmates. One of them had an older sibling who showed them the way, and they were all very thankful when they got there.

The whole group of Ravenclaw first years entered the classroom together. It was empty, apart from Professor McGonagall. She greeted them as they came in and sat down at the desks Most of the Gryffindors came in after them and the lesson began shortly afterwards.

Professor McGonagall explained to them what Transfiguration was about, telling them of its usefulness and the beauty of how it worked. Then she got them to write a list of things that a person could use Transfiguration for. Once they started writing, Professor McGonagal suddenly transformed into a cat.

"Wish, did you see that?" John asked Clara.

Clara nodded and stared at the cat, her mouth hanging open.

Just seconds after the transformation, the door swung up behind them, and two Gryffindor boys ran in, muttering among themselves. They hurried over to the desk next to John and Clara's and sat down. That was when McGonagall tranformed back into herself.

The boys got a lecture on the importance of turning up to lessons on time before the lesson carried on as normal.

John leaned over to one of the boys, who had messy black hair and round glasses. When Clara looked over at him, she noticed the lightning shaped scar on his forehead.

"You'rd Harry Potter, aren't you?" John said, smiling broadly.

Harry nodded, smiling a little. The boy sitting next to Harry leaned over and smiled as well.

"I'm Ron Weasley, I'm Harry's friend," he said.

"Nice to meet you both," Clara said. "I'm Clara and this is John."

The rest of the lesson passed interestingly as Professor McGonagall demonstrated different types of Transfiguration. The whole class sat awe-struck as she did it, not wanting to miss a thing.

"Woah, that was bloody awesome'" Ron said as they left the classroom.

Everyone nodded in agreement. John and Clara parted with Harry and Ron because they had seperate classes next. The Ravenclaws had History of Magic, whereas the Gryffindors had Herbology.

"Harry seems like a nice lad, a bit quiet though," John said.

"Yeah, I don't blame him, to be perfectly honest," said Clara.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - So I'm hoping this chapter will be really cute, it might not be, I'm just kinda planning this in my head as I go, so yeah. Here we go :P Please remember to review, follow and fav :)**

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**Chapter 6 - John**

"Right, let's just get this over and done with," John said, slamming down his book and a piece of parchment. This got him a few looks from older students and a giggle from Clara.

"I can already tell that History of Magic won't be a favoured subject of mine," Clara said.

"I honestly think that it won't be favoured by anybody. I struggled to keep my eyes open for that hour," John said, poking his chest.

The two of them had just enjoyed their first day of lessons at Hogwarts and they already had three assignments to do. They promised themselves that they'd get it done as soon as they could, but they were struggling.

"So what was Professor Binns saying in the lesson, Clara?" John asked.

"Ugh, I really have no idea. I think it was something about the founders of Hogwarts. Some Ravenclaws we are," Clara answered, rubbing her forehead.

" Yep, we are so intelligent," John said boldly. "Hmm, screw this, let's get to know each other better."

Clara looked a little confused, before understanding what he had said. "Yeah, that would be nice," she said.

"So, what do you want to know about me?"

"Umm..." Clara thought for a minute. "I dunno, what's your favourite colour?"

John was a little disappointed with the basic question, but he didn't mind. "Blue. Like quite a dark blue, a bit lighter than navy. How about you?"

"I like really deep shades of red, like crimson."

"That's cool. Doesn't it feel weird that we only met yesterday? It's like I've known you for ages," John said.

"I know, it's crazy. We've only been here a day and we still have seven years. I'm looking forward to them," Clara said, staring out of the window into the blackness.

"Me too. I've been waiting for this all my life. I've never had friends because I've never been to school. I always used to watch the kids running around outsi-"

But John stopped talking because he had realised something. He'd thought he'd seen Clara before when he first met her on the train, and now it came to him.

"John?" Clara asked.

"I know where I've seen you before now. Where do you live?"

"Onslow Road in Blackpool," she answered, slightly confused.

John laughed. "That is such a coincidence! I live on Highbury Avenue. We have literally been streets apart and we didn't even know it!"

"Did you not go to school? I never saw you there," Clara said.

"No, my mum told me I wasn't like then so I didn't belong there. But I saw you walking down my street every day."

"Oh, I always knew I was a witch, but my parents let me go because I needed to learn the basics."

"I always wanted to go to school," John said, looking down slightly.

"Don't worry, it wasn't that great. Especially when my magic came out of nowhere. I got a bit of hassle becau-,"

"Can we be best friends, Clara?" John interrupted.

"Yeah, we are already, aren't we?" Clara asked, a little confused.

"Yes. Yes we are."

* * *

John slurped his soup loudly, still annoyed at what had happened the lesson before lunch. It was the second day and his second Potions lesson with Professor Snape. The man wasn't very friendly and was easily annoyed.

All John had done to annoy Snape, was express his curiosity about a certain potion. Snape wasn't too happy when he started explaining to Clara about this particular potion. John ended up getting called a "know it all" and losing fifty points for Ravenclaw.

"It's nothing, John. Apparently he took a massive was of points off Harry this morning as well. Snape doesn't seem to be very friendly," Clara said, trying to comfort his annoyance.

Clara was still rubbing his arm when Hermione came over and sat next to them. "Hey, guys," she said. "What's the matter, John?"

"Snape's the matter," he sulked.

"You as well? We should make a list of first years Snape is picking on. Harry and Neville would be on there too. Actually, I might be; he gets angry whenever I answer a question right," Hermione said.

"Yeah, to be honest, he's just a bully. You'll be fine. Me and Hermione are going to the library, wanna come?" Clara asked.

"No thanks, I was gonna write a letter to my mum. I'll see you guys later," John said, before the girls stood up and left the hall.

He hastily finished his soup before making his way down to the Gryffindor table in search of Neville. He spotted his round face in the crowd of red, black and gold and sat down in the space beside him.

"Hey, Neville. I heard Snape's been giving you a rough time too," John said, snatching a bun from one of the baskets.

"Yeah, you could say that. He can't stand me. It's not my fault I'm so clumsy," Neville complained.

"He can't stand me because I learn to quickly. Did he notice which house I was sorted into a couple of days ago?" John said, agreeing with Neville's tone.

"Yeah, well, at least you don't have Potions with Slytherin. He loves them and slags us Gryffindors off the whole time."

"What a biased little... Dalek."

"A what?"

"Don't worry, it's just a word I made up."

"Ah, okay... So how's everything else going?" Neville asked, as he finished his own soup.

"Pretty alright, actually. I'm quite enjoying most lessons and it's nice to have a friend like Clara around to spend time with."

"I'm quite rubbish at nearly everything, to be honest. I love Herbology though, it's fantastic."

"That's good to hear, Neville. Look, I need to go write a letter to my mum. I'll see you later," John said, standing up and slapping Neville on the back. After Neville returned the farewell, John left the Hall and made his way up to Ravenclaw tower, his bad mood making no effort to leave him.

* * *

**So maybe that wasn't as cute as I thought. It doesn't matter because I changed my plan a little throughout the chapter. I hope you're enjoying the story so far :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - This chapter is based on the famous "Troll in the Dungeon" scene, only it's in Clara's point of view. I thought it might've been interesting to try doing a scene from the book like that. Obviously, it will be a little different because Clara doesn't go to the toilets with Harry and Ron. This is more of a filler chapter, tbh. Please review, favourite and follow :) Thanks for all the support so far :P**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 7 - Clara**

It was Halloween, and Clara had been at Hogwarts for about two months now. So much had happened in that time and now she was calling the castle her home. They had celebrated John's birthday a few days before and now they were looking forward to the Halloween feast.

Clara and John had just finished their last lesson of the day when they heard the news about Hermione. Padma's twin sister, who was in Gryffindor, had said that Hermione was crying in the girls' toilets and wanted to be left alone. Clara felt awkward when Padma told her not to go in and comfort her best friend.

"It's best to leave her. She won't talk to anyone and nobody knows why she's crying. Don't worry, she'll come out sooner or later," Padma said, when she saw the sadness in Clara's eyes.

John and Clara were now sitting in the Ravenclaw common room, doing their Charms homework. They were supposed to practise levitating objects with their wands.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Clara said, without enthusiasm. She was too busy thinking about Hermione.

"Look! I swear that book just moved! I'm nearly there!" John said excitedly. He looked over at Clara, hoping that she'd agree that it moved, but he noticed that she wasn't paying any attention.

"Clara, give it a rest. She'll be fine. She just needs some space, that's all," John said encouragingly.

"I know that, I'm just overthinking it too much. It's bugging me."

"Anyway, we need to practise this. Flitwick said that he expects to be able to do this by tomorrow's lesson, and all I can do is make it wobble," John said, pointing at the book he was trying to levitate.

"Alright, let's see who can get it to fly first. Three, two, one..."

And they both concentrated on their books, shouting "Wingardium Leviosa!" multiple times. A few of the older students told them to shut up, so they moved up into John's dorm. In the end, it was Clara who levitated her book first, but John wasn't far behind.

Once they had finished up with that, and put all their stuff away, there was a tap on the window.

"Sid?" John said in confusion, peering out of the window at the owl. It had a parcel tied to its leg.

John ran over to the window and opened it, letting the bird in. It flew onto the heater in the middle of the room and stuck its leg out. John to the parcel and the letter and then stroked the owl.

"Clara, this is Sid, he's my mum's owl. Looks like I've got mail." He chucked the letter over to Clara. "Can you read it for me?"

John ripped the parcel while Clara opened up the letter. She read it out to him:

_Dear John,_

_I know I wrote to you for your birthday only a couple of days ago, but I just wanted to wish you a happy Halloween. It's that one day in the year when you wouldn't come away from the window. I know how much this day meant to you when you were younger._

_So I decided to send you, and your friend, Clara, a little something to enjoy. I hope you'll like it. I know how close you are to Clara so I thought it best not to leave her out._

"Aw, your mum is so sweet," Clara said. When John nodded, she continued:

_Anyway, everything at home is fine and I'm still working shifts at St. Mungos. _

_Love you lots, _

_Your mum._

Clara finished the concise letter and looked up to see what was in the parcel. John was holding a big box of Halloween candies and two pumpkin masks.

"I know these masks," John said, throwing aside the candies. "These belonged to my mum and dad from when they were at Hogwarts. My mum told me how they had secret parties when they were in their sixth and seventh years."

"Woah, that's so cool," Clara said, taking one of the masks and analysing it. It was orange, and had a big black smile on it. The eye were cut out to look evil and the nose was a triangle in the middle.

"This is a girl's one," John said, indicating the eye lashed and the lip shapes on the mask. They swapped and then put them on. They both started laughing.

"We look rediculous," Clara said, still giggling.

"Shall we where them to the feast?" John asked, taking his off and looking at it again.

"Why not? It'll get us into the spirit."

So they both headed down to the Great Hall wearing their rediculous masks. They got many funny looks and a couple of laughs as they entered the entrance hall, and they were both in happy moods until they bumped into Professor Dumbledore.

He turned around and jumped when he saw them. Then he just laughed. "Oh, my. You gave me such a fright! Wait, a moment..." He peered at the masks and then his eyes widened. "Is that you, John Smith?"

"Yes, sir. How did you guess?" John said, a little startled.

"These masks belong to your parents, don't they?" The headmaster said cheerfully, as if remembering the good old days.

"Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore chuckled, patted John on the head, and then made his way into the Great Hall.

Clara looked at John and he shrugged. Then they started laughing again. They loved Halloween at Hogwarts already and the feast hadn't even begun.

* * *

The feast was well underway when Professor Quirrell ran into the Hall screaming that there was a troll in the Dungeon. Suddenly, there was shouting and Professor Dumbledore had to silence all the students. Clara didn't know what to do, she just looked around at everyone. John was looking up at the headmaster.

Dumbledore told all the prefects to escort the students back to the common rooms. Clara and John did as they were instructed and followed the Ravenclaw prefects up to Ravenclaw tower. Once up there, the two of them sat on one of the sofas.

Something suddenly occurred to Clara. She looked up at Padma who was sitting nearby.

"Padma, which toilets were Hermione in?" Clara asked her.

"First floor, I-" Padma's eyes widened and they were both thinking the same thing.

Clara got up and ran to Penelope Clearwater. "Penelope, one of my friends is in the girls' toilets on the first floor! They might be in trouble!" Clara said frantically.

Penelope nodded quickly. "Okay, Clara. It'll be fine. I'll go and report it to a teacher." And with that, the prefect briskly walked out of the common room.

Clara sat back down next to John. "Oh, John. I should have gone to her earlier."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N - Wow, it's really obvious that nothing happens to Hermione. You all know because you all read the book :P If not, I'm sorry I spoiled that, but it really isn't relevant to the actual story so you can chill. I'm hoping this will be a nice chapter :) Please review, favourite and follow. Thanks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own a thing :(**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - John**

The next morning was fairly breezy, but this didn't stop John, Clara, Harry, Ron and Hermione going out for a stroll. It was a Saturday, so they were free to do whatever they wished. The grounds of Hogwarts were beautiful, and it was their last chance to admire them before the harsh Scottish winter came. Also, the five of them wanted to discuss what had happened the night before.

"So what actually happened?" John asked, his cold hands in his jacket pockets.

"It was bloody awesome," Ron said. "Basically, there was this huge troll and it was stomping around and trying to kill Hermione. Then we-"

"Fought it off. Does it really need explaining?" Harry cut in. He looked slightly bothered.

"Um, yes it Does, Harry. How do great tales like ours come out if we keep them to ourselves?" Ron said, as if it were obvious.

"Go on, Ron," Clara said.

"I used the levitating charm we learned in Charms, and bashed it on the head with its own club." Ron looked proud of himself.

Harry laughed. "Yeah after I stuck my wand up its nose."

"Yeah, that was brilliant too!"

Harry and Ron laughed together while the others enjoyed the story. Hermione smiled broadly and John heard Clara ask "I thought you hated those two yesterday?"

"Oh, I did. That's why I was crying. But they saved my life, they're really not that bad." Hermione said.

Clara nodded, before going back to listening to the boys.

They kept walking until they reached Hagrid's hut, where they saw the half-giant re-seeding his pumpkin patch.

"Oh, hello ther' you lo'," Hagrid said in a friendly manner.

"Hiya, Hagrid," Harry said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm plantin' meh new pumpkins for nex' year. I'm plantin' 'em early so they'll be even bigger." Hagrid was so excited about his pumpkins, that he dropped half the seeds he was holding.

"You're pumpkins were awesome yesterday, Hagrid," John said.

"Why thank you... Wai', wha's your name again? I'm sorry."

"It's okay, we've never really talked before. I'm John Smith. Not too hard to remember, it's quite a common name," John said smiling.

"Ahh, okay then. Nice to mee' you, John," Hagrid said, scratching his head.

"You probably haven't met Clara either then," Hermione said, pointing at Clara.

"No, I haven', nice to mee' you too. Do you all fancy a cuppa? I was just about to put one on anyway," Hagrid offered.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Hagrid," Harry said, following Hagrid into the hut. They all filed into the cramped little room and squished onto the sofa.

"So John and Clara, you're both in which house?" Hagrid asked as he set the kettle on the cooker.

"Ravenclaw," Clara said.

"Okay, tha's a good house to be in. I was a Gryffindor like this lot. So how are you enjoying the school?"

"It's great," John said. "We really love it, although it is a lot more action-packed than I anticipated."

Hagrid chuckled. "Trust me, there's not usually this much drama. I dunno wha's goin' on this year," he said.

"Yeah, Hagrid. We were meaning to ask you. What was the whole troll thing about last night?" Harry asked.

"I haven' really been told anything on the subject, I'm afraid, Harry. As far as I'm aware, nobody knows how or where it got in."

The five students considered this for a minute. Then Hagrid broke the silence. "Look, I bet it's nothin' to worry yourselves abou'. That troll's gone now, and tha's the most importan' thing."

"Okay, Hagrid," Harry said.

They all drank their tea and then made their way back up to the castle. It was evident that Harry, Ron and Hermione had been discussing this earlier.

"Whoever set out that troll must have been trying to get past that three-headed dog," Harry whispered, but John overheard.

"What? A three-headed what?" He said, but they quickly brushed him off and said something about homework before hurrying away. This made John very suspicious.

"What was that all about?" Clara asked.

"I don't know, Clara. But there's something fishy going on here. I don't know what it is, and I really don't like not knowing."

* * *

Harry's first Quidditch game was later that morning, so they decided to go and watch, even though their house wasn't playing. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. John and Clara didn't know much about Quidditch, but once they got into the game, they both loved it.

"Woohoo! Go Harry!" John shouted as Harry whizzed past them on his broom. They were sitting with Ron, Hermione and Neville in the Gryffindor stand cheering.

They kept watching the game until something odd happened. Harry started jerking from side to side on his broom. He had lost control of it and he was moving around in random directions. Apparently, this was an odd thing for a broomstick to do.

No one knew what was going on, until Hermione left the stand. A few minutes later, the jerking stopped, and Hermione returned. "Nice one," Ron said.

Harry tumbled down to the floor on his broomstick and then looked like he was about to throw up. It turned out to be the Snitch. He spat it out and waved it in the air. Gryffindor had won the game.

Hagrid, who was sitting behind them said "I'm not seeing this as a peaceful year at Hogwarts."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - This is the first chapter that starts the storyline properly. We are introduced to a character called Harold Saxon. How will he turn out? There's only one way to find out :P I'm writing a lot at quite a rapid pace at the moment, but I just came back from holiday and I'm really enthusiastic about getting on with this story. I really love it. I'm even planning a sequel now :) Please review, favourite and follow :) Thanks again for all the support so far.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, just my imagination :P**

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Clara**

A couple of weeks passed since the Halloween disaster. Now everything was back to normal; lessons we're resumed and nothing more was really said on the subject. It was not until a chilly morning in the middle of November when John and Clara encountered there next bit of drama.

Clara and John were walking to their second lesson of the day, which was Herbology and chatting about what they were going to do at Christmas, which was coming up in the next month. Clara was going home to spend it with her family, whereas John was staying at Hogwarts.

They were just walking down the second floor corridor, laughing about something, when John accidently bumped into someone. That person had their back to John when the collision happened. John fell over, but the other person didn't budge, but turned around. It turned out to be a tall, skinny, Slytherin boy with short brown hair. He had a menacing expression on his face as he looked down at John, who was picking up his books.

"What's your name," the boy said, pointing his ringed finger at John.

"Uh.. J-John Smith," John stuttered, as Clara helped him to his feet.

The boy's eyes widened a little, and then nodded. One of his friends, who was also in Slytherin, whispered in the boy's ear, not taking his eyes off John.

Clara didn't know what to do. This boy was oblivious to her and just provoking John. She was a little scared of what was about to happen. She should've gone to a teacher, but she didn't want to leave John, so she clung to his arm.

"So, John Smith, do you know who I am? I bet you won't like it if I tell you," the boy said, edging closer.

"No, I don't, mate. I've never seen you in my life," John said boldly. The boy ignored this.

"Didn't think I'd ever meet you, but here we are. The name's Harry Saxon. Ringing any bells now?" Harry was getting closer and closer, so John began to step back, Clara still at his side.

"Nope, still nothing," John said.

Harry got in close enough and gave John a shove. "Stop mucking around, you nutter. You know full well who I am," he said, getting pretty annoyed now.

Clara stepped between the two boys and said to Harry "Stop it! Leave him alone, he doesn't know who you are, okay? Just get over it."

"Shut up, this is personal," Harry said, pushing her aside and advancing still on John.

"Well, let me put it in your head now," he was walking up to John, who was walking backwards very quickly now. Clara noticed the staircase behind John but when she called out, it was too late.

"John!" She cried as she heard the thuds of him tumbling down the steps. Harry and his small gang ran away down the corridor, and Clara ran down the stairs after John. At the bottom lay a horrible sight.

John was sprawled on the floor, his forehead bleeding. He was unconscious and there were students calling for teachers. Soon afterwards, Professor McGonagall ran over examined him.

"Will he be okay, Professor?" Clara asked, as tears splashed out of her eyes.

McGonagall looked up at Clara affectionately. "I'm pretty sure he'll be fine so long as we get him to the hospital wing straight away," she said.

She got out her wand, and lifted John's body with it. They both hurried to the Hospital Wing, Professor McGonagall shouting for the corridors to be cleared on the way.

When they got there, John was laid down onto a bed, and Madame Pomfrey got straight to work. McGonagall took Clara out.

"It's okay. What happened, Clara? What caused the fall?" She asked Clara, holding her shoulders.

"It was Harry Saxon, Professor. He was threatening John for no reason, and John was backing away and then he fell and then Harry ran." Clara was blurring it all out at once.

"Okay, I'll track him down. It'll all be okay, Madame Pomfrey is an excellent healer. What lesson do you have next?"

"Herbology."

"I'll have a word with Professor Sprout and tell her that you and John will be missing the lesson. You can sit with John."

Professor McGonagall escorted Clara back into the wing, and talked to Madame Pomfrey for a while. Clara sat down in the chair next to John's bed.

He already looked a little better. The blood was cleaned from his head, and he wasn't sprawled out like earlier.

"He was very lucky, Miss Oswald," Madame Pomfrey said from behind her. "He broke an arm and a couple of ribs. He also has concussion, but it could have been a lot worse."

"Thank you," Clara said.

"I'm just doing my job," and with that, Madame Pomfrey retreated to her office.

Clara lifted her hand to take John's, but she hesitated. After a second, she placed her hand on his and stroked it a little. He was her best friend and she really cared for him. She never thought anything like this could happen.

She was going to make sure that Harry Saxon would pay for this. He wasn't going to get away with hurting John. Clara would make sure of that.

* * *

**Ooh... Is there revenge in the air? Wow, looks like Clara and John are experiencing just as much drama as Harry Potter this year. That's really saying something.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N - So, now we're really getting into it :) John is lying in the Hospital Wing, feeling kinda miserable and confused. This is a filler chapter but I assure you that it won't be that boring, I promise :P Please review, favourite and follow. Thanks for all the support you guys are giving already :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Nothing is owned by me.**

* * *

**Chapter 10 - John**

John's eyes opened slowly. Everything was out of focus but he soon realised where he was. There was a banging pain in his head, so he decided to stay still. He tried to lift his left arm to touch his head, but he felt a sharp pain there as well.

His right arm didn't hurt when he moved it, but his ribs did. Many parts of his body hurt. When he moved his legs they hurt, but not like his arm or head. He basically concluded that is was best not to move at all.

Madame Pomfrey had noticed that he had woken up, and came over to his assistance. She helped him sit up a little so he was more comfortable. She reported his status, telling him that he had broken his left arm, two ribs in his left side and had a blow to the left side of his head which gave him concussion.

In words it didn't seem to bad, but the fact that it hurt every time he moved made it bad to John. He was made to drink something that would ease the pain a little.

"Now, I'll need your permission, but I can fix those breaks quickly. I would have done it earlier, but I need your consent. Is it okay?"

John nodded quickly, later regretting it as his head hurt. He was happy that some of his pain would go away.

Madame Pomfrey got out her wand, and after muttering a couple of incantations, fixed his arm and ribs. He certainly felt it each time, because there was a short burst of pain and a snap. After that though, he was fine again.

"Okay, so now the only thing you'll have to worry about is your head," she said after the procedure. "I'll have to keep you for a couple of days, because I can't let you out with that concussion. You're allowed visitors though."

"Okay, just one more thing. I forgot to ask earlier. How long was I out?" John asked.

"Only a few hours. The last lesson finished about ten minutes ago."

"Alright, thanks."

"No problem."

John scratched the back of his head and noticed his bag was on the chair beside his bed. There was a note at the top of it. It said:

_Hey John,_

_You may be alone when you wake up, so I thought I'd write a note to cheer you up. _

_McGonagall's going to go and look for Saxon and I hope he pays dearly for what he did. He legged it as soon as you fell down those stairs. He's completely mad, I have no idea what he was on about back there. Nothing's your fault, you'll be okay. _

_I'll come and visit after lessons finish. I'll try and bring some chocolate._

_See you soon,_

_Clara._

He finished reading the note with a smile. He put it down on the bedside table and then dragged his bag onto his lap. He searched around in it, before taking out a copy of "Quidditch Through the Ages" that his mum had sent him when he told her that he'd expressed an interest in Quidditch. He had told her that he wanted to try out for the Ravenclaw team when he got to his second year.

He had read a few pages before the door to the Hospital Wing opened, and Clara, Hermione and Neville came in. They all cheered when they saw that John was awake, causing Madame Pomfrey to shush them. They all apologised and then came to John's bed.

"How are you?" Clara asked, moving his bag and sitting on the chair. The others pulled up their own chairs.

"Oh, you know. A little concussed but unbroken." He waved his arms in the air.

They all laughed, then Hermione went all serious. "What that boy did was unacceptable, John. He could get expelled for it," she said.

"Well, I hope he does. He deserves it," John said, feeling no sorrow for Saxon.

"Me too," Neville said. "I don't want to meet him in the corridor any time soon."

"So what was he on about? Who is he?" Clara asked.

"I have no clue. He makes out that I know him, but I've never seen or heard of him in my life," John said. They all sat in silence for a second until John thought of something. "I know, I'll write to my mum. She might know who he is."

"That's a good idea. Maybe they were friends at school," Neville said.

"More like enemies," Hermione added.

Neville nodded, realising that Hermione's suggestion was more likely. John picked up his bag, got out some parchment and a quill and started writing. They all watched and suggested things for him to write. In the end, the short letter ended up saying:

_Hey mum,_

_This is quite urgent. You may know already what happened to me, but that doesn't matter. Don't worry yourself, I'm fine. I need to ask you something._

_There was this boy called Harry Saxon who attacked me in the corridor. Do you have any idea who he might be? He said that I should know who he is. _

_Can you reply as soon as you can._

_John._

John rolled up the piece of parchment and handed it to Clara. "Can you take this to the Owlery for me and send it to my mum with a random owl?"

"Yes, of course." Clara said, taking the scroll and putting it in the pocket of her robes.

The three guests stayed in the Hospital Wing with John until Madame Pomfrey kicked them out, telling them that he needed rest. John really wasn't in the mood to sleep, so he lied in his bed, thinking. He had no idea what was going on, but as soon as he was out of the Hospital Wing, he was going to find out.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N - We're coming up to nearly half way through the story now, because I have 25 chapters planned. Hope you're enjoying it so far. Remember to review, favourite and follow. Thanks again :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing.**

* * *

**Chapter 11 - Clara**

Clara was in an extremely bad mood. It was the day after John's accident and she was sitting in the library with Hermione. On the way there, she had seen Harry Saxon walking free. She had really hoped that he'd been expelled, but that hadn't seemed to be the case. She wanted revenge on him so badly now.

"Why wasn't he expelled, Hermione? You said he's be expelled," Clara said angrily.

"I said he _could've _been expelled. Besides, he didn't actually push John down those stairs. So there was technically nothing to expel him for," Hermione said defensively. She carried on with her Transfiguration homework. Clara had given up on her homework; she couldn't think straight. She was too busy thinking about John and Harry Saxon and everything else that had happened the day before.

Clara looked down at her watch, seeing that it was time to go down to the Great Hall for dinner. She packed her things and stood up quickly. "I'm going to have dinner," she said and then she walked out, leaving Hermione alone.

"Hey, Clara, wait! Don't be angry at me, it's not my fault!" Hermione shouted behind her, but Clara took no notice. She knew where she was going, and it wasn't to the Great Hall. She made her way down the corridor, and there he was; Harry Saxon, in exactly the same place as before.

She'd never been this annoyed in her life. Clara was usually quite a forgiving person, but this situation had sent her over the line. Without thinking, she stormed up to Harry and pushed him against the wall, catching him off guard. She never thought she had it in her to do such a thing, but here she was.

"You better be sorry for what you did! My best friend could have died or something! I don't know who the hell you think you are but I'm telling you to leave John alone! He's never done anything to you! He didn't deserve any of it!"

The whole time, Harry stood still, listening to her. She could see a slither of guilt in his eyes, but when she had finished, all his friends started laughing. She backed off and looked at every one of them. Harry started laughing too. "You're all psychos," she finished, and then she walked off as quickly as she could.

She heard Hermione behind her again, but continued to ignore her. Finally, she caught up with Clara.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Do you have a death wish or something?" Hermione asked her.

"He needed someone to tell him something. He's just a common bully," Clara said, never looking at Hermione once.

"You need to be careful too, Clara. You could get into trou-"

"Look, I don't give a damn about rules, Hermione. I don't need a lecture from you!"

"This is really hitting you hard, Clara. I think you should calm down."

"Just go away, Hermione. I need time alone," Clara said as she stopped walking. Hermione looked at her one more time, before walking away.

Clara wasn't sure of what to do next; whether to go to her dorm and cry, eat dinner or doing something else. She thought for a minute, and then decided that it was best to go to dinner.

Meals weren't as fun without John. Sure, she had friends, but none like John. She had the most fun with him and he was the only person she could confide in completely. Hermione was a good friend too, but she could get so annoying at times and she wasn't in half of Clara's lessons. Being in different houses gave them quite a bit of distance.

When she reached the hall she sat in between Padma Patil and Lisa Turpin at the Ravenclaw table and put some food on her plate. The only reason she was there was because she wanted to talk to Professor McGonagall. A few people asked her if she was okay, and she replied that she was fine every time. She didn't want to talk to anyone, so she kept her head down and ate.

It wasn't until she noticed that McGonagall was leaving the Hall, that Clara got up, leaving her plate half full. She made her way out and caught up with Professor McGonagall in the Entrance Hall. "Professor, can I talk to you," she said as she approached her.

"Of course, Miss Oswald. Come with me," McGonagall replied before leading her to her office. She sat down behind her desk and offered a seat for Clara. "So what is the problem? Is it about yesterday's events?"

"Yes, it is. It's just, I seem so angry about it at the moment. I don't know what's going on. I shoved Saxon against a wall earlier. I've never done such a thing before," Clara said, bowing her head a little.

Professor McGonagall sighed and looked at Clara. "Clara, it's quite natural. Especially at your age. You're becoming a teenager. You're coming to a time when you're going to feel a little more angry. I know that it must be hard for you, after seeing what you saw. It'll just take time," she said.

"Thank you, Professor. I just wanted to talk to someone. Can I just asked, what happened to Saxon? He seemed a little different when I approached him today."

"Now, miss Oswald, I can't tell you that. Anyone would be scared if they were pushed by a girl who was a year younger than them. You must have gave him a real fright," McGonagall chuckled.

"Yeah, maybe." Clara forced a small laugh.

Clara made her way back up to Ravenclaw tower and lied in her bed. She started to cry, because it made her feel better. If this was what it felt like to become a teenager, it really did suck.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N - Wow, I'm really on a roll at the moment. This is probably the last chapter I'll post today, because I'm starting to get a little tired of writing, but I hope I've left plenty for you to think about :P Please review, favourite and follow. Thank you all for everything :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own stuff :P**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - John**

"Right, I think that's enough rest for you, Mr Smith. You're free to go," Madame Pomfrey said, after finishing her final checks on John.

He smiled, and stood up. "Thank you for everything, Madame Pomfrey," he said, and then he closed his dividers and got changed into his school robes. Then he left the Hospital Wing without another glance back.

He wasn't going to Ravenclaw Tower just yet, though. He had something he had to do. He had to go to the Headmaster's office and ask him the question that had been bugging him for days. His mother had not yet replied to his letter, which was odd, because he usually got a speedy reply from her. It was annoying him because he had the horrible feeling that she knew, and didn't want to tell him.

As he walked, he received a few 'hello's and 'how are you's from various people he knew, until he got to the corridor, where Dumbledore's office was, which was empty. He had been told to go to Professor Dumbledore's office by McGonagall a couple of days before when he was at the Hospital Wing. She didn't say why, but John didn't mind, because he had a question for him anyway.

He reached the gargoyle that supposedly guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office and stopped walking. "Now what?" he asked himself.

"Password?" the gargoyle asked him.

"Um... I don't know the password. Professor Dumbledore told me to come and see him," John said.

"No password, no entry, boy," the gargoyle said.

"Sherbet Lemon," the voice of Professor Dumbledore said behind John, and suddenly, the gargoyle sprung aside.

John whirled around, and saw Dumbledore himself, standing there. He pointed for John to enter his office.

John turned back around and passed through the door which lead to a spirally staircase. He went up until he reached the a door. He opened it and went inside.

Dumbledore was close behind him and he shut the door. "So, Mr Smith. How have you been enjoying your time at Hogwarts so far?" he asked, leading John over to sit down in front of his desk. Dumbledore sat down behind it.

"Uh, yeah. It's been great, well, at least until I fell down a staircase," John said, with a small smile at the end.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, yes. I can imagine that that wasn't very pleasant for you. That is sort of to do with what I want to talk to you about. I understand that you were provoked by Mr Harold Saxon?" Dumbledore said, twiddling his thumbs and leaning in a little.

"Yes, Professor," John replied with a nod.

"And he claimed that you knew him, even though you didn't?"

"Yes."

Professor Dumbledore sat back again and took a deep breath. "okay, John. This may not be what you want to hear, but I'm going to tell you who Harold is in relation to you. But, first, you need to promise me one thing; promise me you won't go and find him and do anything to him, because it isn't his fault."

"Professor?"

"Basically, John. The truth is that Harold's parents killed your father."

Dumbledore left a silence after that to let it sink in. John stared at the Professor for a moment and then looked down into his lap. The first thing that hit him was that his father was murdered, and he didn't even know. Then he felt hurt, because his mother had never told him anything about his father and what happened to him. From that moment, everything was a mess to John and he had so many questions.

"Why are you telling me this?" John asked, forgetting about the fact that he wanted to know before.

"Because I feel that you have a right to know. I thought you would have known something about your father, and if that had been the case, I would have left it at that. But after this incident, I realised that you had no knowledge, and it really isn't fair that you have been left in the dark. You're not alone, John. Of course, you should know Harry Potter's story."

John nodded. "So what happened to him?"

"Who?"

"My dad. You just said that I have a right to know," John said.

"Alright, let's start from the beginning. More than a decade ago, there was a powerful, dark wizard called Lord Voldemort, although not many people tend to speak his name. He started a war, of sorts, and killed many, many innocent people. Most of those people, were muggleborns. One night, he went after the Potter family, and as you know, he died while trying to kill baby Harry. After that happened, many of his followers were sent to Azkaban prison or went into hiding. There were a few, however, who refused to step down, and continued in the Dark Lord's footsteps. Two of these followers were Rupert and Francesca Saxon, and one of their targets was your father, who was a muggleborn.

You're father was an Auror, John. A very brave one, at that. He and a team of other Aurors set out to find some of the remaining Death Eaters in October 1982. Only one returned a couple of weeks later, and he told everyone that the rest had been tortured and murdered. He named the killers, who were Harold's parents and soon after, they were found and sentenced to Azkaban for life. I'm sorry, John. I know it's not a pleasant story, but that's how it is, I'm afraid."

John digested the story and sat for a while. He had nothing to say; he was speechless. The thought of his dad being murdered was stuck in his brain and it was hurting him badly. He didn't like it at all.

"So, what about Harry? What happened to him?" John asked, only curious, not caring.

"He was brought up in the care of his uncle, a bit of a twisted uncle, but he did the job," Dumbledore said, sighing.

"I think I'm going to go now," was all John said as he stood up.

"That's fine. It's probably best if you had an early night, tonight, John. It's a lot to take in for a twelve year old boy."

John nodded, picked up his bag and left the office.

* * *

**Poor John... :(**


	13. Chapter 13

**More than half way through now :) This is the longest fanfic I've planned/written! I usually get bored pretty quickly and try and end it. But I actually _planned_ this fanfic! :D I love it, hope you do too :P Remember: review, favourite and follow pleassee :3 Thanks for everything :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own the awesomeness.**

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**Chapter 13 - Clara**

Clara slowly placed her forehead on the desk, trying to think of something to write, but it just wasn't working. She really didn't like Potions. and she really didn't like Professor Snape. She was grateful that he didn't pick on her most of the time, but the fact that he _had _to pick on someone irritated her a lot. Another thing she couldn't stand, was when he set them essays on completely random topics, because they took up so much time because of the amount of research they had to put was a stack of library books that she had flicked through at least ten times each, but couldn't get anything out of.

So she finally decided to give up on it, and moved onto her Charms assignment, a subject that she enjoyed quite a lot more. She was just writing the title, when she noticed John enter the common room. She jumped up and went to greet him. She hadn't been expecting him yet.

"John!" she said, with sheer excitement. She went in to hug him, but he stood rigid, which was quite unusual for him. When she came off him, she realised how miserable he looked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Don't worry yourself. I need some time alone... to get some rest," he said, before edging past her and hurrying up to his dorm.

Clara was lost. She didn't know why he was being like he was, but she decided to leave him be. Maybe he'd tell her later, when he felt better. She decided to drop it, but that didn't stop her worrying. She was beginning to worry a lot lately.

She sat back down at her desk and resumed with her Charms, trying to take her mind off it. She did manage to get a couple of paragraphs done once she really got into it, but then she started thinking again, which wasn't a good thing.

She decided to give herself a toilet break, so she wrote a little not to John, and then closed her ink bottle and set her quill down next to it, and then made her way out of the common room. There were toilets near the dorms, but she wanted to go for a walk, so she chose the toilets that were a couple of floors down.

The school was fairly quiet, there were only a couple of students walking around. It was starting to get into Friday evening, and people were probably beginning to settle down after their week at school. Although, Clara could sense that the older students (mostly fifth to seventh years) who were wandering around, probably had some party or something planned. Clara had heard about those, and by the sounds of what happened at them, she thought it best to wait until she was a few years older to even consider it.

She wasn't far away from the toilets now, but she noticed something unusual. She saw Harry Saxon, sitting alone on a windowsill without his gang of thugs. He had his legs up on the windowsill and was staring out of the window. Clara stopped walking as soon as she saw him, wanting to make a quick escape, but it was too late. He turned around at the sound of her footsteps in the empty corridor, looking scared, but when he saw it was her, he calmed a little.

"It's Oswald, isn't it?" he asked, sounding a little more friendly than usual. This made Clara extremely suspicious.

"Might be, I don't see why you'd care," she said, looking at him with as much hatred as possible.

"Look, I don't want to cause any trouble, but I want to talk to you... about what happened the other day," he added after her confused look. He stood up and started walking towards her, she stayed put where she was.

"Well, spit it out then," she said.

"I feel really bad. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I just thought he was mucking around with me and I need anger management and I get really angry sometimes. Please can you forgive me?"

Clara was getting really confused now. "Wait a minute. I don't understand. Why should I believe you, when you already have a reputation of being a bully?" she asked him.

He sighed and leaned against a wall. "I do it for my friends. They expect me to be their "leader", so I do it. I never know why, but there are times when I lose control and just lose it completely. Professor Dumbledore has been helping me though. That's why I haven't been expelled yet."

"Okay," Clara said, nodding slightly. "So what you're saying, is that you're just misunderstood?"

"Pretty much," he said shrugging.

"So why do you think John knows who you are?"

"Come and sit down and I'll explain," Harry said, pointing at the windowsill. Clara hesitated, and then decided to be brave and go with him. They both sat down and he continued. "Okay, to cut it short, my parents killed his dad."

Clara literally gasped and stared at him. "What?" she said in genuine shock.

"You heard. I hate them for what they did. They killed loads of muggleborns. I was only four when they finally got arrested. I never understood how evil they were until later on, but I really do hate them. I don't want to be like them."

"What happened to them?" Clara asked.

"They're rotting in a prison cell in Azkaban as we speak. They're in there for life hopefully," John said.

Clara had nothing to say. It was crazy, everything was so messed up. Why couldn't everything be nice and normal. She was used to being part of a normal family and she didn't understand what it was like to lose a parent, or both. This was all new territory for her.

"I lived all my life thinking that everything was perfect. I had both my parents, a nice house, good friends at school. I guess I might have wanted siblings but that's not the point. Now I realise that not everyone has half of all that. I'm sorry, Harry, for everything."

And she did something she never thought she'd ever do. She gave Harold Saxon a hug.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hmm... mixed feelings about Harry Saxon at the moment? We'll see :P There's still a lot left to come :) I'm listening to my Whouffle playlist while writing this XD Reviews, follows and favourites are much appreciated :3 Cheers! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 14 - John**

He shouldn't have rejected Clara like that. She was so happy to see him and he pushed her off. And now he felt bad and it made him feel even worse than he did before. There were thoughts flooding in and out of his head and he couldn't think straight. He was never going to get any sleep that night, so why bother trying now?

John jumped up out of his bed and felt that his last painkillers were beginning to ware off. His head was throbbing a little, so he sat back down and rubbed it. It was a lot better now than it had been a couple of days before, but it still hurt. It was an unavoidable pain, because it hurt whenever he moved his head, but he'd have to get used to it. He stood up again and walked slowly down to the common room.

When he got there though, Clara wasn't there. When he reached her desk, and saw that it was empty, he looked around. Everyone was doing normal stuff, like chatting or homework, and there was no sign of Clara. He looked back down at the desk and spotted something.

There was a handwritten note from Clara which was addressed to him. He picked it up and read it.

_Hey John,_

_I wrote this note in case you came back down from the dorm. I've just gone off for a walk to the girls' toilets a few floors away. _

_I'm sorry if I scared you when you came in, it's just I'm so excited that you're back. _

_See you in a bit,_

_Clara_

It only took him a few seconds to read, so once he finished, he went towards the exit of the common room. Once he was out, he thought about where Clara might have gone.

There were toilets near the dorms, but she obviously wanted to get away from the noisy environment. The nearest toilets were on the fifth floor, so that's where he was heading first. There weren't many students out in the corridors at this time of evening because Friday's were usually made for relaxing. Everyone respected that rule, apart from some of the older students.

He kept walking, descending a couple of flights of stairs and bumping into a couple of people, until he reached the boys bathroom. That's when he hit himself in the head and realised that she would be going to the girls' toilets. So he turned the corner and saw something that he never thought he'd ever see.

"What?" he said out loud. He had just witnessed Clara and Harry Saxon hugging on a windowsill. They broke apart as soon as they realised he was there. Clara looked at him guiltily. "Clara, what are you doing?"

"He explained everything to me, John. I know who he is," Clara said.

"Yeah, so do I," John said, as if it were nothing.

"Wait, you do?" Clara asked, confused.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore told me earlier. That's why I went straight to my dorm. But still, that doesn't explain why you had to hug him. His parents are murdering scum!"

"Hey, you think I don't know that? I hate them for it, okay? Why does everyone just assume I'm like them all the time? I haven't seen them in more than eight years, for God's sake," Harry interrupted, before sitting back down on the windowsill and look out at the lake.

John was speechless. He just stood there awkwardly. Clara walked up to him and took his hand. She lead John over to Harry and made him sit down. She stood in front of both of them.

"I think you two just need to understand each other. Who knows, maybe you could even be friends. Look, John, Harry feels bad about what happened last week. He has anger issues." Clara said, just as if she were a councillor.

"Mate, I am so sorry about that. I really didn't mean for anyone to get hurt, but I thought you were messing with me and I got angry," he stuck out a hand towards John.

John hesitated a little, and looked at the hand carefully, deciding whether to trust it or not. After a couple of seconds thought, John took the hand and shook it, although he was not a hundred percent comfortable with it. "Thanks," John said.

Harry stood up. "Yeah, I should probably go. People will be wondering where I am," he said, scratching his head.

"Harry, don't let those friends of yours have a bad influence on you. You're better than that," Clara said encouragingly. Harry smiled at her, and then walked away down the corridor.

"Do you fancy him or something?" John asked, once Harry turned the corner.

"Don't be ridiculous, John. I don't fancy anyone yet, and especially not him. Seriously, stop being so jealous," Clara said with an evil grin on her face.

"What? Me? Jealous? Yeah right. I'm not jealous, just protective. That's what best friends at for, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they are. Thanks. Hey, I'm sorry about your dad. It must be hard to not have known what happened to him,"

"Yeah, thanks. I'm going to need to talk to my mother about that. Anyway, it's Friday night. I'm out of that stinky hospital, so we can finally have some fun again, so what do you want to do?"

Clara laughed. "Oh how I have missed you."

* * *

**Aww was he really jealous? Nah, probably not yet. It's a bit too early for that, they're still young. :P**


	15. Chapter 15

**So basically, I just realised that I accidently skipped a chapter, by putting two of them into one. It doesn't really matter, but in order for my chapters to be in order of John and Clara, I've had to come up with this one from the top of my head, so I'm sorry if it's not too good. Please review, favourite and follow. Thank you to everyone who has done that so far. I've had loads more favs and follows in the past couple of days which makes me really happy :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, but my imagination.**

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**Chapter 15 - Clara**

"I wish you were staying here for Christmas, Clara. I'll probably get really lonely without you,"John said sadly as he spooned jelly into his mouth. It was the evening before the Christmas holidays began and they were in the Great Hall for dinner. Most of the school was going home the next morning, but John was one of the people who were staying behind.

"I'll write to you loads if you want. I'll miss the school, but it'll be nice to see my parents too." Clara said.

"I don't really want to see my mum at the moment. Not after the whole Harry Saxon thing," John said miserably.

"It's not your mum's fault, John. She obviously didn't want to tell you until you were old enough. She probably knew you would get upset," Clara explained.

John had received a letter from his mother a couple of weeks before explaining the whole situation with his dad. John still hadn't replied to it.

After dinner, Clara and John ran up to the common room. John had promised Clara that he's help her pack her things. They went into her dorm, and John sat on her bed.

"So have you got any other plans apart from Christmas this holiday?" John asked her, as she dragged her trunk from under her bed and opened it.

"No, not really. We usually go and see the muggle fireworks, which is really fun. I'll invite you one year, it's really spectacular," Clara said, folding her clothes.

"Yeah, I'd like that," John said. "I really will miss you though, Clara."

"I know, John. I'll miss you too, but don't get too upset because I'm not here. Enjoy Christmas and make some new friends if you can. You can't spend the rest of your life with me, although I do appreciate your company," Clara said.

"I do have other friends. Neville's my friend," John said.

"Yeah, but how much time do you spend with him on a weekly basis?" John went silent. Clara laughed. "Honestly, John. You were so excited about meeting people in the beginning, and now you're being all shy. What happened?"

"Many things have happened between then and now if you don't recall."

Clara sighed. "Yeah, you do have a point there."

* * *

The train journey was just as long as it had been on the way to Hogwarts. It felt odd to be going home for Clara. She had got so used to the halls of Hogwarts that her home would seem so small compared.

She had a compartment with just Hermione this time because the train wasn't as full.

"Well, I think we've had quite a busy year so far, don't you think?" Hermione said.

"Totally. Seriously, in what other school would a troll be set loose in the dungeon? What other school even has a dungeon?" Clara asked.

"Exactly. Hogwarts is so weird and wonderful in its own way. I love it!" Hermione said with a massive grin.

"Me too."

"But of course it has imperfections, like Malfoy. Have you come across Draco Malfoy?" Hermione asked Clara.

"No, I haven't. I have heard of him, though. He's in Slytherin, right?"

"Yeah, he's horrible. He was mean to Harry ever since their first meeting. And the worst thing is, Shape loves him. We can't go through a potions lesson without Malfoy getting at least fifty points for Slytherin."

"Wow, that seems unfair. We should report Snaps for being biased towards his own house," Clara said.

"And for unnecessarily picking on innocent students."

"And for just being a bully in general."

The two girls laughed before realising that the train had slowed down and was pulling into Kings Cross station. They watched out of the window as a semi-crowded platform appeared.

Once the train came to a halt, the girls stood up and collected their things. As they left the train, they said their goodbyes before they went in search for their parents.

"I'll write to you," Clara said, before pushing past a parent as she looked for her own. It looked like she'd be doing a lot of writing this Christmas considering she had promised so many people she would.

It took her a while, but finally she spotter her mother's smile in the crowd. She ran over, and saw her dad standing next to her. Both her parents hugged her, and she was so happy to see them.

"You'rd finally back!" Clara's mum exclaimed.

"I've missed you loads," Clara said.

"Come on, let's get a move on. The traffic is hell," her father said, before picking up her trunk and carrying it away. Clara and her mum followed to the barrier.

This Christmas was going to be different. It was going to be magical.

* * *

**Just thought I'd put a little convo between Clara and Hermione because althought they are supposed to be good friends, we have seen much of those two. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Yay! It's Christmas! Well, not quite literally just yet. It's not til next month in reality :( But it's come early in my fanfic :D So John's left by himself at school. Will he just sit around and be a loner the whole time, or will he actually make an effort to socialise? Reviews, favourites and follows are much appreciated :) Thanks for everything so far :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 16 - John**

It was lunchtime on the first day of the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts. The Christmas spirit wasn't quite in the air yet, because there were so little people left in the school. As John walked into the Great Hall, it was odd for him to hear his own footsteps.

He sat down alone at the Ravenclaw table, still upset about not having Clara around for Christmas. He missed her already, and she'd only been gone for a couple of hours. He knew that he was over exaggerating slightly, but he couldn't help but feel loneliness creeping inside him. He had no idea how he was going to get through the next couple of weeks.

John dished up some food onto his plate and pushed it around for a bit. He ate it all in the end, and was still feeling miserable until a certain face cought his eye.

Sitting at the Gryffindor table was Harry Potter, with Ron. From where he was sitting, John could see that they were playing a game of Wizard's Chess. He suddenly felt a lot happier that he had friends at school, and so he stood up, intending to go and sit with them.

But before he could go, he noticed that someone else wanted his company. Harry Saxon had just sat down next to John. He sighed and sat back down himself.

"Hi, John," Harry said. He looked happy. Too happy in John's eyes. It made him slightly suspicious; he still hadn't got over what happened.

"Hello," John said carefully. He tapped his fingers on the table.

Harry sensed the unwanted tone. "Look, I know this is the first time I've talked to you since, you know, but I just want to say that, I wouldn't mind being friends. I mean, only if you wanted to," he said, trying to set things straight.

"Hmm... I dunno," he thought for a minute, and then he realised how mean he sounded. "Alright, we can give it a go."

"Great!" Harry said excitedly. This was a completely different Harry Saxon to the one John had first encountered. Maybe it could work, he'd see. "I was thinking of going down to the Quidditch pitch for a fly, later on. Do you want to come with me?"

"Uh, I've never flown a broom before," John said awkwardly.

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's dead easy. I'll teach you if you want," Harry offered.

"Yeah, alright then. What time?"

"About 2ish."

"Alright," John stood up. "I'll see you later then."

John walked out of the Great Hall, feeling happy and nervous. But he wasn't going to let that stop him, because he was following Clara's advice; he was going to make a new friend.

* * *

At about five to two, John set out for the Quidditch pitch, dressed in a warm jumper and gloves. It was starting to get really chilly and it probably wasn't long before the snow came. John didn't like the winter, especially when he had to go outside into it. But he put up with it, because he was feeling really excited about riding a broom.

He saw Harry outside with two brooms as he approached the stadium. John greeted him and they entered the changing rooms.

"I just found this broom in the cupboard over there. It's not a bad one either, it's a Cleansweep six." Harry handed him the broom.

John hesitated before taking it. "We are allowed to do this, right?" he asked.

"Well, I assume that we should be. No one's using the pitch, and the rules only say that first years aren't allowed their own brooms. That doesn't mean that they're not allowed to ride them. Besides, if Harry Potter can get onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his first year, I'm sure they'll let you fly around on a broom. Don't worry about it."

John nodded, and took the broom. He was taking a liking to Harry's attitude already; he found it amusing.

He looked down the broom. It wasn't as sleek as some of the ones he saw in Diagon Alley, but it would do for his first go. "So, do you play Quidditch, Harry?" he asked, as they walked out onto the pitch. It seemed a lot bigger when you stood on it.

"Not really. I tried for the team a couple of months back, but I didn't get in. I got pretty angry about it, but then again, I was one of the youngest people there. I didn't really stand a chance. I'll just have to try again next year," he said.

"I want to be in the Ravenclaw Qudditch team one day. It looks so awesome." John said.

They stopped walking. "Right, flying is really simple. Basically, all you have to do is mount your broom and kick off the ground. Watch me," Harry explained, before mounting his broom and kicking off.

He soared into the air at quite a pace. He was really high up by the time he stopped. "C'mon!" he shouted.

John looked uneasily at his broom before mounting it. He held his breath, and then kicked off. It was a wonderful feeling. The wind blew through his hair as he flew higher and higher until he was level with Harry. "Woah, that was awesome," John said.

"You think that was awesome? Just wait until you do a dive," Harry said with a laugh.

They started zooming around, doing laps of the pitch. John tried to race Harry, but his broom just wasn't fast enough. Harry had a Cleansweep seven, which was one up from the one John had. Apparently, it was nearly as good as the new Nimbus 2000 broom. That was the one Harry Potter had.

They decided to hang around in the air for a bit after their laps, and so they got into conversation. "So what position would you want to play in Quidditch?" Harry asked him.

"I do like the look of the beaters, but the chasers look cool too. I don't really know yet. How about you?"

"I want to be a goalkeeper. Goalkeeper's my favourite position to play, but Slytherin already have one. Some guy called Miles Bletchley. He is pretty good though. I tried out for a chaser but there are plenty of people who want to be those."

They decided to make a day of it in the end, but John had enjoyed it thoroughly. He never thought he'd find Harry Saxon so interesting. He put his broom back in the cupboard and they walked back to the castle together.

"That was really fun, thank you," John said.

"It was my pleasure, we should do it again some time. So do you agree that we should be friends now?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I think so," John replied.

Harry stuck out his hand and John shook it. "So, I'll see you around, friend."

* * *

**Sorry that I haven't updated in so long, it's just I've been bombarded with homework recently, and I'm really trying to get on top of it. The hardships of school are parting me with my fanfiction :( But I've especially stayed up to write this chapter, so sorry if it seems rushed by the end. Hope you enjoy it though :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N - Okay, so this chapter's going to be set out a little differently from others. I mean, it won't be that much different, but most of it will be in the form of two letters. It's basically about a week into the holidays now, and it will explain what John and Clara have been getting up to. Reviews, favourites and follows will be much appreciated :) Thanks for everything.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is not mine.**

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**Chapter 17 - Clara**

It was Boxing day, and Clara decided to have a lie in after her very filling Christmas dinner the night before. She had received a couple of pretty worthy presents that she really liked. One of them had been 'Hogwarts, A History', which Hermione had recommended her to read time and time again. Another was a massive box of Chocolate Frogs, which she absolutely loved.

But the Christmas present that she wasn't expecting, was the letter that she was about to receive from John. She had her back to the window, but she immediately heard the pecking on the glass. She sat up and turned to look. There was an old barn owl sitting on her windowsill, pecking away at the window.

She got up, and opened the window, allowing the owl to fly into the room and land on her bed. She laughed; she loved owls so much. Before going to retrieve her letter, however, she first went to Fidget's box of owl treats and got a handful for the owl. Then she sat down and stroked the bird, handing it the treats.

She carefully untied her letter from the owl's leg, and then it hooted, pecked her thumb gently and flew away, out of the window. Clara laughed once again, shut the window before the heat escaped, and then tore open the letter. I was from John, and it read:

_Dear Clara,_

_I can't believe it's been a week already! It has gone suprisingly quicker than I thought it would. Me and Harry (Saxon, not Potter) have been having quite a fun time together._

_Since receiving your letter on Wednesday, me and Harry ended up hanging out with Ron and Harry P. We played a tournament of Wizard's Chess, which Ron won, and then we went out for a stroll. It was really chilly, but Hagrid invited us in for a cuppa. _

_Apart from that though, we haven't seen much of Harry and Ron all week. They've been hiding away most of the time._

_But, anyway, Harry S gave me another flying lesson on Thursday and it was just as awesome as the first, if not better. I finally plucked up the courage to try a dive, and it was fantastic! I'll be a pro at flying by the time I get back. I might even teach you if you want._

_So, yeah, enough about me. How was your Christmas? What did you get? I bet your Christmas dinner was a lot cosier than the one we had here. There were barely any of us here, and yet there was still enough to feed the wizarding population._

_Despite the fact that I've found a friend in Harry, you'll always be number one, Clara. I really miss you loads, and I can't wait until you come back. Only a week to go._

_Hoping your well,_

_John S_

Clara finished reading the letter and smiled. She missed John a lot too, and she was so happy that he had finally found another friend apart from herself. She really wanted to write a reply, so still in her pyjamas, she sat down at her desk and got out a quill and some parchment.

She wrote:

_Dear John,_

_It's good to hear from you again. I'm happy that you're getting along well with Harry and that you're both having a good time._

_To tell the truth, I am a bit lonely here, but I did have a nice Christmas with my family. Our Christmas dinner was probably no where near as big as yours, but it did the job. I got a few presents; my parents got me a box full of Chocolate Frogs and Hermione sent me a copy of Hogwarts, A History. It's actually not as bad as you think; you should give it a go._

_Not really much else to talk about round here. My parents took me for a trip to Diagon Alley on Wednesday for a shopping trip. It was absolutely packed! There loads of people doing their last minute Christmas shopping. One guy got pushed over in a crowd near Gringotts, and he ended up jinxing his own nose. They had to rush him to St Mungos; it was pretty nasty._

_I'm missing you loads too, John. I can't wait until I go back to Hogwarts. Home doesn't really feel the same after you've been there for a few months, believe me._

_Lots of love,_

_Clara xx_

Clara signed off the letter with a couple of kisses and then rolled it up. After tying it up, she stood up and walked over to Fidget's cage, where he was sitting on his perch, fast asleep. She opened the cage door, and poked the owl. His eyes snapped open, and he turned his head to stare at Clara.

"Wake up, Fidget. You're on duty now. I need you to take this to John. You've done it once before so you should be fine. Here, have some treats before you go."

She handed Fidget some treats, before he zoomed out of the cage and landed on her desk, by the scroll of parchment.

"You'rd such a clever bird," Clara said, as she picked up the scroll and attatched it to Fidget's leg. The owl hooted and flew onto the windowsill. "Take care of yourself, Fidget," Clara said, before opening the window and letting him out. She watched as Fidget flew out of sight, towards her best friend.

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**Oh would you look at that, it's 1:12 in the morning. The things I do for you amazing people :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! Not long to go now :P I've only planned 25 chapters, but do not fear, I have a sequel planned. To be honest, the sequel was the thing I had planned first, but I thought it best to write an introductory fic first. That's why there isn't that much stuff going on here. So yeah, keep doing what you're doing - reading, reviewing, favouriting and following because it's awesome :) Thanks to all of you who have stuck from the beginning :)**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything.

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**Chapter 18 - John**

"So, how does it feel to be back in lessons, Clara?" John asked her teasingly. It was early January, and everyone was back from their Christmas holidays. John and Clara had just sat down in their first lesson after their break, which was History of Magic, the most boring lesson there was.

Clara groaned at his question. "Oh it's ghastly."

"Really?" John asked.

"Nah, it's really not that bad, I was joking. I've missed school, but then again, I really haven't missed the droning voice of Professor Binns," she said.

John laughed loudly. Professor Binns heard the laugh and then decided to start the lesson. "Right everyone. Settle down. Today's lesson is on the hunting of witches and wizards by muggles in the middle ages. All the information I will give you, you will need for your assignments which I will be setting for homework at the end of the hour."

So Professor Binns began his lecture while most of the students in the class caught up on their sleep or in some cases, homework. John and Clara spent their time flicking balls of paper at Padma Patil and Hannah Abbot. One of them got caught in Padma's hair, and the two of them giggled silently. The lesson bored on until, at last, the bell rang to mark the end of the lesson.

"Right, everyone. Homework is-" Professor Binns tried to say, but no one was listening because they were all packing up and leaving the classroom as quickly as they could.

"Oh dear, it looks like no one's going to do the homework. What a shame," John said.

Clara laughed. "Joke all you want, John, but we have exams at the end of the year, and you'll be sorry later on," Clara said, trying to sound as serious as possible, but failing.

"What? Because you listened to _every_ word of that lecture, didn't you?" John said sarcastically.

"Yeah, that's a good point."

They both laughed as they advanced down the corridor. "What lesson do we have now? I've forgotten," John said.

"Potions, with our favourite teacher. I think this is the best morning we have on our timetable," Clara said, fairly miserably.

"Wow, we're beginning to live off sarcasm. And I don't know if that's a good thing," John said smiling.

They kept on walking, descending staircase after staircase until they reached the dungeons. On the way to the Potions classroom, John spotter Harry Saxon.

"Hey, Harry!" John said, waving at him. He was standing with his usual gang of friends. He looked up at John, stared for a second and then he looked away again. His group of friends laughed.

"What does that nutter want?" One of them said, pretty loudly.

Harry just shrugged, and they continued with their conversation.

John stopped still, and look at the gang in shock. "What?" he said quietly.

"He shouldn't ignore you like that. Not just because he's around his friends," Clara said.

"I'll teach him for standing me up like that. Maybe he is just a twat after all." John said, before rolling up his sleeves, dumping his bag next to Clara and walking towards his 'friend'.

Harry saw him, and his eyes widened in shock as he approached. John shoved a couple of his friends out of the way, and then shoved Harry even harder.

"What is it with you? Was our hanging out in the holiday just a trick?" One of the guys snorted. "Just another thing to laugh at me about?"

John had shouted so loud that everyone was looking at him, but he didn't care. He was glaring right at Harry, who was looking pretty frightened.

"No, really I swear-" Harry began, but one of his friends interrupted.

"Wait, you were hanging out with this weirdo during the holidays?"

John looked at the friend, and then let go of Harry. Harry stood up again, and straightened his uniform.

"Yeah, so what if I was. You have a problem with that?"

"He's a loser, Saxon. And he's a year younger than us," the friend said.

"So what? And he's not a loser, he's cool, and a pretty amazing flier."

The friend just looked at him, shook his head and then walked away, the rest of the gang behind him. "Whatever."

John was still standing in the same place, utterly bewildered. "Some friends they were," he dared to say.

"Yeah, you're right. I was starting to go off them anyway," Harry said.

Clara came over from behind and gave John his bag. "Seriously, John. You need to calm down a bit. You can't just go round making scenes like that," she said.

"I know, I don't know what came over me. That should be my New Year's resolution. _To stay calm._"

Harry and Clara laughed, before they all heard the bell to indicate the start of the next lesson. John and Clara's eyes widened in shock, and then they ran to the Potions classroom, hoping that they wouldn't find Snape waiting in there to punish them.

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**Yeah, okay that was a pretty rubbish chapter. But it doesn't matter. It'll get better :P**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N - Sorry that I haven't updated in so long, it's just that I'm not getting the time nowadays. We're getting there though. I just can't wait until the sequel because I can assure you that it'll be 100 times better annnddd it'll have Whouffle in it! Yay!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing...**

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**Chapter 19 - Clara**

"Tell me exactly how many times a week you come here, again, Hermione," Clara asked as they found themselves a table in the Library for the second time that day.

"Well I don't count exactly, but I'd assume that it's more than seven," Hermione said, sounding far too casual. She placed a couple of books on the table and got out some parchment and a quill. She sat down and started writing immediately.

"Wow, you should really focus more on your studies, Hermione. It's worrying how little of it you do these days," Clara said sarcastically.

Hermione sighed loudly. "Honestly, Clara. Some of us want to do well in life. Besides, if you think that it's bad now, just wait. In a few years you'll be struggling and then you'll fail your OWLs and NEWTs and then you fail everything."

"I'll fail my whatty whats? I didn't really understand much of that."

"How are you in Ravenclaw and I'm not? Ravenclaws are supposed to be clever," Hermione said.

"Well, technically, we're supposed to be bright and intellectual. Not necessarily clever."

"Yeah, but you're neither of those things either."

"Thanks, Hermione. You're really making me feel amazing," Clara huffed.

"That's what friends are for," Hermione said. She gave Clara a fake smile, and then got on with her work.

Clara nodded and then looked around. There was nothing to do in the library anymore. She'd been there so many times that it was just boring.

"I'll leave you to it then. I've finished all my homework. I'm going to find John," Clara said finally.

As she walked away, she heard Hermione say "Have fun with your boyfriend." Clara whirled around and glared at Hermione, who had evidently not looked up from her work. She was about to say something back, before getting frustrated and walking away.

_He was not her boyfriend!_ She was starting to get a lot of that recently. She assumed that everyone was teasing at first, but everyone seems to think that it was the truth. But she was too young to have a boyfriend yet, and even so, John was just her friend. Well, best friend.

She kept walking, knowing in which direction to go to find John. It was a Saturday afternoon, so John was likely to be out on the Quidditch pitch with Harry Saxon. It was beginning to get a little warmer as February was approaching, so it was easier for them to get out of the castle without freezing to death.

As she approached the stadium, there was no sign of anyone flying above the pitch. She thought that they might be in the changing room talking, but when she got there, they were still missing.

She walked out onto the pitch and saw the two boys flying in the air, but really low. She wondered why this was the case.

Clara called John's name, and he turned when he heard it. Then, within a few seconds, he landed smoothly beside her. "Hey Clara," he said.

"Nice landing," she said. "Why are you two flying so low?" she asked him, as Harry made his way down to the ground.

"Oh, um. Hagrid came along and asked us what we were doing and why we were flying. He knew I was a first year, and I think he was about to tell us off. But then Harry said that I wanted to try for the team next year, and that I couldn't practise at home, (which is true) and then Hagrid let us off, but told us to stay low in case some teacher saw us. Apparently we're not actually allowed to use the Quidditch pitch without permission, but we didn't know," John finished while Harry came and stood beside him.

"Well, you didn't know. I did, but it would've been fine, I would have taken full responsibility if we got caught. So it's all good," Harry said.

"Wait, you knew?" John asked, looking around at him questioningly.

"Yeah, but we haven't got caught properly yet, have we?" John said.

"Alright, whatever," John said. "Do you want to join us, Clara?" he asked.

"Um..." Clara had no idea how she would reply. She really wanted to have a go, but she knew that she was very uneasy when it came to heights. Also, there was the risk of them getting caught by a teacher and getting into some serious trouble. But weren't rules be there to be broken, as Hermione had said? "Alright, I'll give it a go," she said with a smile.

"Great," Harry said, before jogging over to the changing rooms and returning shortly afterwards with an extra broom. He handed it to her and the two boys showed her how to fly it.

She was a bit shaky to begin with, but within half an hour, Clara was zooming around the pitch like a maniac, laughing her head off. Of course she was staying low, but she was loving every second of it.

They decided to stop after a while because it was beginning to get a little dark. After packing up, they made their way back up to the castle together, laughing about all the fun they had had together.

"That was amazing! I would love to join you guys again if that's okay," Clara said.

"Yeah, sure. That would be fine. I'm looking forward to it," Harry said, smiling at her.

"So, Clara," John asked. "Are you going to be considering the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team one day?"

Clara laughed. "We'll see. I mean, I haven't even played the game yet!"

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**Sorry this is so late! **


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone! I haven't been very active lately and I'm very sorry about that. I'm trying to write when I get the time, and for some reason, at the moment I'm not getting enough of it :/ Anyway, on with the story. We're going to jump a few months forward now, so we're looking at about April of their first year. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing...**

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**Chapter 20 - John**

It was now spring, and the weather had improved to a standard that John thought was amazing. He and Clara spent most of their days outside, in the warmth of the early seasonal sunshine. They were beginning to get more stuck into their homework, realising that their end of year exams were coming up, and they were wanting to do well.

"What did you write in your introduction?" John asked, scribbling down the title of his Transfiguration essay.

"I haven't written anything yet. I'm still planning it all out," Clara said, also writing on some parchment.

"You guys should just chill. You don't need to take exams seriously just yet. I winged mine last year, got terrible marks and no one said anything of it. It's not until fifth year that you have to worry," Harry said, lying on the grass, resting his head back on his arms.

"Have you forgotten which house we're both in, Harry?" Clara asked. "We have higher expectations than the rest of you guys."

Harry sighed. "Of course, you're Ravenclaws. And you're first years, which means that you're petrified of getting expelled. Seriously guys, nobody gets expelled ever. Calm yourselves."

"I'm down with that," John said, chucking his quill down onto the grass and lying down next to Harry.

Clara sighed, shut her textbook, and sat down next to the two boys. "Honestly..."

"Hey John!" The shout came from behind them, and they all whirled around to see who it was. They saw Neville Longbottom making his way over towards them, waving one hand in the air. He finally reached them, and sat down on the grass. "Hey guys, haven't really seen much of you lately," he said.

"Oh, um... Sorry about that Nev. I guess we just haven't seen much of each other in the corridors and stuff," John explained, scratching his head slightly.

"Nah, it's all good. So how have you been?" Neville asked.

"Oh you know, same old Hogwarts. Have you met Harry Saxon?" John asked, indicating towards Harry, who looked up at the mention of his name. Before he wasn't too bothered by Neville's arrival.

"No, I haven't." Nevilled crawled over towards Harry and stuck out his hand. "I'm Neville Longbottom."

"Uh, hi Neville. Nice to meet you," Harry said with an awkward smile.

"Yeah, you too," Neville said, shaking his head vigorously.

"So, now that we're all friendly, can we actually do something?" Clara asked.

John sat up onto his elbows and looked out across the lake. He was just wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts, and so he came up with something fun to do, although he knew not everyone would approve. "Last one to the lake is a rotten egg!" he shouted.

He jumped up, took off his shirt, throwing on the ground, and then sprinted out towards the lake. They weren't that close to the lake, so it was a distance to run, and many people were giving him funny looks. He heard someone running behind him, and he already knew it was Harry. He smiled, knowing that he would get to the lake first, considering that he was nearly there already.

He ran straight in, without thinking, the freezing water washing up against his bare legs. He laughed as he felt the cold, before stopping when the water almost reached his knees. "Well, why did I do that? It's freezing," he said.

Clara and Neville laughed. They decided to stay by the edge of the water, which John now thought was a wise decision. Harry however, had joined him in, and was running right at him. John was a little confused about the amused look on Harry's face, until he realised that he was launching himself at him.

John fell back into the water and went under for a moment. There was a moment of panic where he thrashed around before he came up again, placing his butt on the bottom and looking up at Harry, who was in fits of laughter.

"You should have seen your face!" he choked, holding his stomach.

"That wasn't funny! You almost gave me a heart attack, unless I drowned first," John said.

"It would have been worth it though," Harry said, a broad smile still on his face.

John smiled too, before standing up and running at Harry. The same thing happened, and once both boys were back on their feet, they decided they'd had enough of the cold water. They trudged back to the shore, where Clara and Neville were still standing.

"Are you two completely bonkers?" Clara asked, with a face of half amusement, half disbelief.

"Just a little," John said. "Here, you need a hug, Clara." John walked up to his best friend and gave her a big hug, making sure that she would be just as soaked as he was. She cringed away as soon as he came near him, but she was too late, because he had already grasped her and kept her in his hold.

"Do you want a hug, Neville?" he heard Harry ask. He looked over to see Neville backing away. They all laughed.

"Is it me, or has it become really cold? John asked.

"It's just you, because you're soaking wet, you dimbo!" Clara said, bopping his forehead.

"Yeah, I think we should call it a day, " said Harry. "I've got some stuff to do. I'll see you guys later." And with that, Harry was gone, running back to the castle.

John sighed happily, looking up at the sun that was slowly beginning to set. "Sometimes, I think I'm a little weird..."

"You think?" said Clara.

"Hey, watch it. I'm happy to give you another hug if you want," John said.

"Hmm, I'm cool with that."


	21. Chapter 21

**Heya guys! Again I haven't been very active, and I am very sorry about that. I hope that you're all a patient bunch, and that I'm not losing too much support over my terrible timekeeping :/ Hope you're enjoying the story so far :) I just want to promo one of my friends, her username is .x and she is an amazing writer :) She wrote her first Dramione fanfic recently and it's amazing so please go check it out :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own a thing...**

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**Chapter 21 - Clara**

"Hey, Hermione!" Clara called after spotting her friend in the corridor. Hermione turned to see who was calling, and smiled when she saw Clara hurrying towards her.

"Oh, hi, Clara," she said casually.

"Hi? Now you say 'hi' to me? I haven't seen you for about a month! What have you been up to?" Clara asked, a little more dramatically than she had expected.

"Oh, you know. This and that. I've been busy, with exams coming up and stuff. I'm sorry I haven't seen you much," Hermione, her tone still too casual for Clara's liking.

"Hmm, okay. I popped to the library a few times. It's not like you to not be there 24/7," Clara said, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, well you must have kept missing me. I've been in there a lot with Harry and Ron recently," Hermione said.

"Ah, okay. Well, I... uh, I have to go. Just wanted to say hello," Clara said awkwardly, before turning her back on Hermione and walking away.

Her friendship with Hermione Granger had gone a little bit rocky recently. They hadn't talked at all for a long time, and Clara wasn't happy about the fact that she was nowhere to be seen all the time. She was spending more time with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley than she used to, and Clara could help but feel a twinge of jealousy.

She thought it best to leave it for now, however, as the end of year exams were rapidly approaching, and she only had this weekend left to cram in some last minute revision. She headed for the Ravenclaw common room, knowing that John was revising up there.

When she got there, John was sitting on the floor by the fire, as every other seat was full. She came and crouched next to him. "We should go to your dorm, it'll be quieter," she whispered. John nodded and followed her up.

"I think it's extremely unfair that the girls can come in our dorms, but we can't go in yours," John said, carrying his Potions textbook with him to his dorm.

"I don't understand why they do it, to be honest," Clara said, with mild confusion.

"I do, but we're way to young to be doing any of _that._" John said, screwing up his face in disgust.

"You always know the details, John. You definitely have a pretty dirty mind," Clara said, shaking her.

"Yeah, it doesn't mean I enjoy it," John said.

"I never said you did," Clara said defensively, holding up her arms.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" John asked sitting on his bed. "We're supposed to be revising." John held up his textbook.

"Alright, I'll go fetch my stuff." She left the boys' dormitory and made her way to her own. She really wasn't in the mood to revise, so she lay down on her bed and dozed off for a bit. She dreamt of exams and ticking clocks, and when she woke up she thought she was going mad. These exams were really pressing on her, even though she knew that they meant nothing. She sat up, and looked around at the empty dorm.

She checked her watch, and noticed that it was time for dinner. What a tedious day it had been, and it wasn't even done yet.

* * *

The first day of exams was upon them, and Clara felt in no way prepared. She had gone over some things but there was a lot she had yet to revise. She had made the courageous decision the wing it, although she knew that that never worked. She was relying on her 'Ravenclaw wisdom' would help her out, but she wasn't expecting anything amazing.

Her first exam was Herbology, which turned out to be pretty easy. They had to name some diagrams of magical plants, and list some of their uses. She had a vague memory of some of their lessons, which was enough to help her scrape through. John seemed fairly confident at the beginning of the test, but he looked a little grim as they walked out of the classroom together.

"I bet you did fine, John. You're probably just feeling paranoid after your first test. You'll get used to it," Clara said, trying to make him feel a little better.

He smiled, nodded and kept on walking. She knew he was still worrying though. The rest of the day followed a similar pattern, and it turned out to be really boring. Once the first day of exams was over, John and Clara decided to hang out by the lake.

"Ah, finally... I'm so done with exams," Clara said.

"Yeah, thank God for that. I just want them to al be over already," John said.

"Don't you think it's gone quickly though? This year is nearly over," Clara said, watching the clouds.

"Yeah it has. The first day we met on the train is still fresh in my mind," John said.

Clara looked over at him. "Same actually. That was a good day."

"Yes it was."

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**Sorry that this chapter is so boring... :(**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hiya! So this is the penultimate chapter of this story, but don't worry, the sequel is already beginning to form in my head. This has been more of a prequel to be perfectly honest, so prepare for even more awesomeness in the next one! **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own either of these awesome me worlds.**

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**Chapter 22 - John**

It was the night before students were due to depart from Hogwarts for their Summer holiday, and everyone was gathered in the hall for their final meal. John and Clara were sitting at the Ravenclaw table, as usual, and waiting for the food to appear.

"So, is there any chance we'll be able to meet this Summer?" John asked Clara.

"I hope so. I'm sure that my parents want to meet you," she said.

"Why? Is that because you've been saying lots of things about me?" John said mockingly.

"Yeah, maybe I did. Why shouldn't I have?" Clara said in return.

"Because I am an amazing person." They both laughed. "I think it would be a good idea if our parents met on the platform tomorrow," John suggested

"Yes, I think that would he good," Clara said.

Just then, they were interrupted by Harry Saxon, who grabbed John from behind and ruffled his hair. "Have you seen who's going to win the House Cup this year?" He said.

John and Clara looked up at the big hour glasses which showed which house was winning in house points. "You guessed it," said Harry. "It's not Ravenclaw, but Slytherin again! This is the seventh year running apparently,"

"Oh, well done you," Clara said, not very cheerfully.

"Hey, we're not even that far behind you!" John exclaimed.

"But too far to have won, enjoy the rest of your evening." And with that, Harry strolled off, laughing to himself.

John was a little annoyed that Harry was showing off to them. "What a show off!" He said.

"Don't listen to him, John. He's just teasing you," Clara said.

That was when Dumbledore stood up, and announced the results of the House Cup. Gryffindor came fourth, and John noticed some dirty looks in the direction of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Then came Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw came second, which John didn't mind too much, until he saw Saxon stick his tongue out. Slytherin were crowned the winners, and many green decorations filled the hall.

Just as John was beginning to lose interest, and was concentrating more on his hunger, he realised that Dumbledore hadn't sat down. Dumbledore said that there were some unawarded house points that he was yet to give. Firstly, Ron Weasley got fifty points, then Hermione got the same amount. Then Harry Potter got sixty points. John heard someone nearby say that now Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied. The room was silent.

Dumbledore then went on to award none other than Neville Longbottom ten points, which meant that Gryffindor had won, and Ravenclaw came third. John couldn't help but laugh when he saw the look on Harry Saxon's face, along with all the other Slytherins'. He looked over at John, and this time it was him who stuck out his tongue.

"Well, I personally think that that's fair enough considering everything they did to deserve those points. I think Dumbledore had it in for Slytherin though, otherwise he wouldn't have given so many points away," Clara said.

"Yeah, I guess. We came third, though, which is a little annoying," John said.

"Hey, we have another six years here to worry about that. It doesn't matter," Clara said.

"Let's just hope that next year isn't so chaotic. I mean, seriously, I think having You Know Who trying to come back was enough for one year," John said.

"And the troll in the Dungeon," Clara added.

"Exactly."

Once the feast was over, all the students, full and drowsy, made their way up to their dormitories for the final time that school year. For some it was the last time ever.

John and Clara decided to sit by the fire, and enjoy each other's company on their final evening. Many of the other students were now in bed or still in their dormitories packing. There weren't many left in the common room, so the only sounds were whispers and the cackling of the fire.

"This place has made my life so much better. It'll be so weird going home," John said, fiddling with the armchair he was sitting on.

"Of course, it will be your first encounter with your mum after everything. Have you been in contact with her?" Clara asked.

"Yes, I have. It would be unfair on her to not know what's going on around here. After all she is my mother, and the only parent I have left," John said.

"I'll miss you, you know, John. Sometimes I forget about how such a nice person you are," Clara said.

"Ha, thanks. I'm gonna miss you too, mate," John said. "But it's only six weeks, and we might even see each other during the holidays, so it won't be too bad."

"Yeah, I hope so," said Clara.

"Wait, what are we on about? We live streets apart, remember?" John said, suddenly remembering.

"Oh, of course! How could we have forgotton?" Clara said, laughing.

"Well, that settles it! We won't have to miss each other at all!" John said.

"This will be the best Summer ever!" Clara said.


	23. Chapter 23

**So here we are. The last chapter is upon us! Thank you to everyone who has supported me as a writer and this fanfic in general. I want to give special credit to my friends AirbourneKites and .x for giving me so much encouragement in person as well :) Thanks everyone, sequel coming soon!**

**DISCLAIMER: For the last time, I don't own anything, okay! ;P**

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**Chapter 23 - Clara**

The day had finally come, and Clara woke up knowing that she didn't want to go home. The warm feel of Hogwarts had grown on her immensely in the past and year and it was incrediblely hard to have to let it go. It was her home, and she didn't want to have to leave it.

She finally sat up, and got dressed into her muggle clothes, making sure that everything was packed, and then, after looking around her dorm for one last time, made an exit.

She met John in the common room, and they made their way down to the Great Hall together. When they got there, they could feel that the mood was quite low, and that there wasn't such a general chatter as usual.

Before sitting down, Clara went over to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "Hey, Hermione," she said.

Hermione quickly put her spoon down and swollowed her mouthful. "Oh, Clara," she said. "I was meaning to talk to you. About the past couple of months, I'm really sorry. There was so much going on and-"

"Hey I get it, you have your friends, I have mine. It's cool. I can see how you get on really well with Harry and Ron. I just wanted to come and say bye in case we didn't see each other. No hard feelings right?" Clara said.

"No, well, I'll see you soon," Hermione said, a little awkwardly, before Clara turned around and walked away. She thought she had managed that well, besides, what she said was what she genuinely thought, and her and Hermione weren't really getting on anyway. It was the right thing to do to save themselves any tension later.

John had saved her a seat, and she slotted in next to him. "Well, thankfully I settled that once and for all," Clara said.

"Nice one, it'll stop you feeling so awkward around her hopefully," John said.

"Yeah, that was the idea," Clara said.

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Clara, John and Harry Saxon managed to get a compartment to themselves on the train back home. Harry was still a little unhappy about the house cup the night before.

"It's not fair! He shouldn't have done that!" Harry said, looking out of the window.

"Hey, can we just get over it already?" John said, beginning to have enough of Harry's whining.

"Alright, sorry. So have you got any plans for the Summer?" Harry asked them.

"Not really, but Clara and I live not far away from each other, so we'll probably see each other quite a bit," John said.

"Sweet, you lucky things. I'm going in holiday to Switzerland with my family. Never been there before and I have no idea what's there, but apparently they have a pretty nice wizarding community over there, so we're going to check it out," Harry said.

"That sounds so cool!" Clara said, intrigued by the thought. I'd love to go to a foreign wizarding community one Day," Clara said.

"I'd love to go abroad some day," John said.

"Oh, I bet you will, John," Clara said.

The rest of the train journey pretty much consisted of conversation. Clara hadn't really talked to Harry that much before, so it was nice to have proper conversation with him. They got a visit from the Patil twins and Neville, all coming to say farewell before the holidays.

At last, though, the train began to slow down and eventually came to a stop on Platform 9 and 3/4, where there was a huge crowd of parents and carers. Clara looked out of the window, her eyes scanning the platform for her parents. They were no where to be seen, but she knew that they would be there somewhere.

"Oh look! I see my mum!" Harry said with a big smile.

They all stood up together and collected their things. It took them a while to exit the train, however, as there were so many people trying to get off at once. The three of them decided to wait in their compartment for a bit until it died down a little. Finally, Clara, John and Harry left the train, and it was time for Harry to part ways with them.

"I'll see you soon!" he shouted over the noise. John and Harry did a handshake of some sort, and Clara did a little wave. Then Harry turned and left in search of his family. The two of them that were left decided to stick together while looking for their parents. Surprisingly, they found their parents together.

"Clara!" her father exclaimed, before pulling her into a big hug. Her mother did the same afterwards. Clara had never felt happier.

"Mum, Dad, this is John Smith," Clara said, introducing John to her parents.

"Hi, John. We've heard so much about you," said Clara's mum, shaking John's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Oswald. This is my mum." He pointed towards his mum, who smiled broadly. The parents shook hands and they all had a little chat. They already knew that they lived not far away from on another, so they started making plans. But after a while, Clara felt that it was time to go.

"Well, I hope to see you soon," John's mum said.

Clara turned to John, and gave him a hug. "Bye," was all she said.

"See you," he said back.

And with that they departed in opposite directions. Clara walked with her parents to their Muggle car, which her mother had received as a gift from her parents. All her stuff was loaded in, and before she knew it, she was off back on the way home.

"We have some news for you, Clara," her mum said.

"Your mother's pregnant," her dad said.

"Really? That's amazing news!" Clara said. She had never thought about that before, but now she knew that this was going to be her next big adventure.

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**OMG it's done! Here we are at the end! To continue the adventure, look for the sequel. It's called "Hogwarts is Hope"**


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